Only Love Can Save Us
by Current Name Unavailable
Summary: SEQUEL TO "Can Two Bads Make a Right?". As tensions between Calleigh and Eric begin to grow, a stranger begins to separate them even more accidentally. Can Calleigh and Eric's love keep them together? Or will the tensions become too much to bear?
1. Trouble Begins

**Trouble Begins**

Calleigh Duquesne-Delko was watching as her daughter played in her playpen with her stuffed animals. Now twelve and a half months old, Emily Marisol Duquense-Delko was half of her whole life. Calleigh smiled as her husband, Eric Delko, walked into the room. He was the other half of her life. Calleigh smiled at Eric. "You about ready to head to bed?" Eric asked her. "I was going to let Emily finish winding down, but then I was," she said. "Dada!" Emily said, a smile spreading across her face. Eric smiled. "Yes, Dada's here," he said, picking her up and holding her. She smiled, beginning to play with the collar of his shirt. "I'll finish putting her down. "You can go get ready for bed," Eric said. Calleigh nodded, and as Eric went to put Emily to bed, Calleigh headed off to the shower.

The next morning, Calleigh woke as she heard noise in the kitchen. As she looked at her clock, a smile suddenly spread across her face. Getting a rather mischievous grin, she quickly rolled out of bed, reaching underneath it. She pulled out a plastic rectangular box, wrapped in blue paper. She silently tip-toed towards the kitchen. As she peered in, she could barely stifle a giggle. Eric was making pancakes, only, instead of making them the normal way, he had found cookie cutters and was making them into shapes. Or, more like attempting anyway. "Boo," Calleigh said. Eric jumped and turned around, sending pancake batter all over the side of his face. She grinned, still keeping the gift out of sight. "Mornin' sunshine," she said with a grin. "Calleigh, what are you doing up? I wasn't expecting you up for another.... twenty minus," he said. She smiled. "You having fun out here?" Eric looked at the mess he'd made of the kitchen. "Can I ask the occasion?" Calleigh asked. "No, you may not," Eric said with a grin. "Then you should really flip those pancakes before they burn," Calleigh said with a grin. Eric quickly turned around, managing to flip them before they burned. "You made me say it last time," he said. Calleigh smiled. "Ok, alright, happy anniversary Eric." He smiled, plating the pancakes before he turned back to her. "Happy anniversary Cal." He smiled, then kissed her on her nose. She smiled, then moved the gift into view. "I got you something." Eric smiled. "I got you something too, but I need to finish breakfast first," he said. She smiled. "Alright, but hurry up." "You want to go get Em?" he asked. Calleigh smiled. "Alright, I can manage that," she said.

Soon, they were all sitting at the table. Calleigh was eating a deformed heart-shaped pancake, while Eric ate what had once slightly resembled a flower. Emily was making a bit of a mess as she ate her own breakfast. Calleigh smiled, patiently cleaning up after her daughter. "My mother volunteered to watch her today," Eric said. "She'll be here shortly to pick her up." Calleigh nodded. "And Horatio said we could stay home today as long as they didn't need us," she said. Eric nodded, finishing off his breakfast. Calleigh finished as well, and began to help him clean up.

Not long after they'd finished, Eric's mother had arrived and took Emily over to her house. As soon as Eric shut the door, he turned to Calleigh. "Shall we exchange gifts now?" he asked. "I think you'll like what I got you." Calleigh smiled. "fine, fine," she said. he smiled, then quickly headed upstairs to the bedroom.

Calleigh opened her gift, going rather slow just because Eric was sitting on the edge of his seat, wanting her to open it so badly. Calleigh smiled. "it's another charm for my bracelet," she said with a smile. This one was a small silver shield, much resembling the badge that everyone at the Miami-Dade Police Department carried. "You like it?" Eric asked. Calleigh smiled. "Eric, it's perfect," she said with a smile. Then. she pushed him his gift. He opened it, smiling as it revealed some new shirts, as well as a gift card to his favorite store. "Cal, this is great," he said. "Not as good as what you got me though," she said with a smile. "He just smiled, then leaned in, kissing her gently.

Calleigh suddenly felt Eric deepen the kiss, before he pulled back his head. "Calleigh.... have you ever thought of having more children?" he asked softly. Calleigh's face went ash white. Dr. Clyde's words began to ring in her ears again. Calleigh had never called her back after that day, but her words still seemed fresh on her mind. "Calleigh?" Eric asked. Calleigh sighed, closing her eyes. "Eric, I can't," she whispered softly. "Cal, it's ok, really," he said, kissing her forehead. "If you're still not comfortable, that's ok," Calleigh sighed. "Eric, it's been almost three years now." "But Cal, you and I both know that what happened to you was something you will never forget," he whispered, pulling her close. "I know Eric, but it's still getting better," she whispered. "But I still can't." "I know Calleigh, I know." Calleigh swallowed the lump in her throat. She couldn't hide it from him anymore. "No, Eric, you don't know," she said softly. "What do you mean?" he asked. "I mean I've been lying," she said softly, her voice quivering. "Eric, I'm not ok," she whispered. "In fact, I've been putting things off that I shouldn't have. Eric..... my memories aren't the only things keeping us from children, but me myself. The doctor said it was because of what Ivan did, as well as the miscarriage, but... Eric, I can't have any more children," she whispered. She fought back the tears as she explained everything in detail to him. Eric was completely silent, even after he finished. "Eric, I'm sorry," she whispered. "it's not your fault," he whispered slowly after a moment. Calleigh wanted to respond, when her phone rang. Wanting to get out of the awkward moment, she answered it. "Duquesne." She only used that name with work, so no one got her mixed up with Eric. "Calleigh, we need you and Eric to come in. Major crime unfolding." "Alright Ryan, we're on out way," she said. She hung up her phone, then looked at Eric, who had by now stood up and was staring put the window. "They need us," she said softly. He was dead silent as he nodded, heading to get ready. The ride to the lab was one of complete silence.


	2. Tensions Rising

**Tensions Rising**  
Neither Eric nor Calleigh spoke as they headed inside. It was Natalia who spoke first. "Eric, Ryan is waiting for you at the scene. Calleigh, you and I are going somewhere else." Eric nodded. He walked by without a word to Calleigh, hurrying to get his kit. "You guys alright?" Natalia asked as soon as she and Calleigh were out of Eric's earshot. "Yeah, just a rough morning," Calleigh said. Natalia left it at that as they headed outside.

Natalia was grabbing her kit from the Hummer, to meet Calleigh at the front steps of the house. There had been reported violence in the house, that may have recently turned deadly. Suddenly, Calleigh reached for her gun. "Someone's in there," she said. Natalia was quickly by her side before they entered the house. Natalia saw a body, as well as someone standing over the body. The man saw them, and ran. Natalia sprinted after him as Calleigh ran towards a room where she heard screams.

Calleigh threw open the door. She saw a young teenage girl, now lying on the floor besides the bed. There was a man next to the terrified girl, pulling his shirt back on. Calleigh aimed her gun. "Freeze!" she yelled. The man had a hold on the girl however, and the young girl, despite being badly beaten, was struggling. "Let her go, or I'll shoot you," Calleigh said. The girl had tears streaming down her face. "My father!" she cried. The man suddenly threw her to the ground, pulling out his own gun. Just as Natalia yelled that she had the other suspect, Calleigh shot the man in his shoulder. He cried out, falling to the floor and writhing in pain. "We're good here, but we need two paramedics!" Calleigh yelled. She looked at the girl, who was now floating in and out of consciousness. "What's your name?" she asked, trying to keep the girl awake. "Jennifer...." the girl mumbled. "Hi Jennifer, I'm Calleigh, and everything's going to be ok," Calleigh said. "My father...." "We're looking for him," Calleigh said, although she had a feeling the dead man downstairs was her father. Calleigh saw Jennifer's eyes close. "Jennifer, stay with me!" she yelled. "We need a paramedic!" she yelled. "Better get me one too!" the man on the floor snapped. Calleigh turned to him. "You did to her what I think you did, I might kill you myself," she snapped. "She had it coming," the man said, his eyes staring straight at Calleigh. Her Daddy didn't have the cash, so that made her mine." "You disgust me," Calleigh spat as two paramedics arrived. They hurried to get Jennifer to the ambulance, before another set of paramedics came for the injured man.

Calleigh called Eric, but only got his voicemail. "Eric, it's me, Calleigh. I need you to get Emily today from your Mom. I'm going to stay here at the ER until i found out how this girl is doing, I'll call you on my way home. Bye," she said. She hung up as the doctor walked out. Calleigh looked at him as he approached. "How is she?" "Her right arm has a compound fracture from her wrist to her elbow, probably from either blunt force trauma or a severe beating, if not both." Calleigh nodded. "She's also very weak," the doctor said. "But if you want a few minutes, you can talk to her," he said. Calleigh nodded, then headed into the hospital room.

The young girl was staring at the wall as Calleigh walked in, but looked up when she heard footsteps. Calleigh smiled at her. "I-i should thank you...." she girl said shyly. "i was just doing my job," Calleigh said, sitting in the chair next to her bed. "My father.... he's dead, isn't he?" Jennifer asked. Calleigh hesitated. "Yes, Jennifer, I'm so sorry," she said. jennifer closed her eyes, not saying anything. "Jennifer.... I need to ask you something though. What all did that man do to you?" "H-He hit me," Jennifer said softly. Calleigh could tell she was lying. "Jennifer, that wasn't all, was it?" "Yes, it was," Jennifer said quickly. Too quickly. Calleigh saw tears forming in the girl's eyes Calleigh knew the feeling, and backed off. "Alright then," she said. jennifer was silent, just rolled over and stared at the wall. Before long, the drugs kicked in, and she was asleep.

Calleigh's eyes slowly opened. She jumped as she realized she was still at the hospital. "Calleigh, you awake?" a mall, tiny voice asked. Calleigh looked at her watch. It was three in the morning. "Yeah, I'm awake," she said. She flipped on the lamp, and aw Jennifer staring at her. "Something wrong?" Calleigh asked. "Calleigh.... he didn't just hurt me, he...." she swallowed. "It's ok, Jennifer, i got it," she said. Jennifer nodded quietly. "You can call me Jen. It's faster," she said softly. Calleigh smiled. "Alright then, Jen. I really should get home now, but here's my number. Call if you need anything, or want to talk," Calleigh said quietly. Jennifer nodded quietly, before rolling back over in her bed. As she laid there, unmoving, after several minutes, Calleigh quietly slipped out. As she did, she stopped in the doorframe. "I know Jen, I know just how it feels," she said softly, walking away. Jennifer, not really asleep, was left confused by her words.

As Calleigh quietly slipped into the house, she saw Eric, asleep on the couch. She walked over, gently sitting next to him. They still hadn't spoken all day. "you can go to bed now," she whispered, and he jumped. "Calleigh!" he said. "Where have you been?!" he yelled. "Shh, before you wake Emily!" she said in a harsh whisper. "I dozed off in the hospital chair with that girl." "I thought something bad had happened to you Cal! You didn't pick up your phone!" "I'm sorry, I guess I didn't hear it," Calleigh said. Eric still looked angry, but just shook his head. "If this is about earlier Eric, I don't know what you want me to do or say," Calleigh said, her voice getting softer. "Good-night Calleigh," he said as she changed the subject, heading for bed. "Eric, don't you leave the conversation ending like that!" she called after him. "I said, good night!" With that, he shut the bedroom door behind him, practically slamming it. Calleigh sighed. She waited half an hour before she followed him into the bedroom. They didn't speak again the rest of the night.


	3. The Right Thing

**The Right Thing**  
Calleigh woke before Eric did. It had been two months now, and their relationship hadn't changed much. It hadn't gotten much better, other than the fact they'd started talking a bit more. But it also hadn't gotten any worse. She looked at her clock. It read five. It was another half-hour until their alarm went off, so Calleigh decided to make the best of it.

She headed across the hall to Emily's room. She quietly tip-toed in, smiling to see the little girl fast asleep. Calleigh sat down next to her crib, watching her sleep. Calleigh smiled. "At least you aren't mad at me," she said quietly. "I don't know what i did," she whispered, unaware that Eric was in the doorway, listening in to every word she said. "I'm really trying Em. I'm trying to put my whole past behind me, about Ivan, about Jake, about everything. But when Eric keeps me out like this, I have no one to turn to. I NEED him Emmy, but all he's done since I told him is give me the cold shoulder."

"I have not been giving you the cold shoulder Cal," he said softly, making her jump. Without a work, Calleigh left the room. "Calleigh, don't ignore me like this," he said, following her. She walked into the living room downstairs before she turned around abruptly. "I was not ignoring you Eric," she said. "But I didn't want us waking Emily." Eric looked into her eyes. "Calleigh, I'm not giving you the cold shoulder," he said defensively. "Damnit Eric!" Calleigh She sat down on the couch, burying her head in her hands. "Eric, I'm sorry, but please, don't blame me," she said, her voice soft. "This is hard enough to go through alone." "I'm not mad at you about that," Eric said gently, sitting next to her. "I'm just upset that you lied to me." "I was afraid that you would act like this!" Calleigh said, her voice raising as she jumped up again. "I didn't want you mad over something that I had no control over!" "Calleigh, you can tell me anything," he said. Calleigh just shook her head. "I did Eric," she said. "And this was the response I got." She turned, walking away to turn off the alarm that had now started to ring. As she walked back, she sighed. "Eric, there's something else," she said softly. "What?" he asked, almost dreading her response. "I wanted to ask before I said yes, but Dr. Clyde wanted to do that surgery Friday, three days from now," she said softly. Eric was silent for a very long time. "Eric?" Calleigh asked softly. "Do whatever you need to do Cal. I just want the fighting to stop," he whispered, kissing her gently on her forehead. "And I'll be there if you want me too," he said. Calleigh gave him a small smile. "Alright, i guess I'll call her back," she said softly. With that, she headed off to call Dr. Clyde before breakfast.

At work, Calleigh fired the last two rounds down the range before lunch when her phone rang. "Duquesne." Calleigh jerked the phone away from her ear as she heard frantic sobs on the other end of the line. Calleigh heard enough, however, to know who it was. "Jen? Jen, I can't understand you. Can you calm down and tell me what's going on?" she asked. The frantic sobs continued. "Jennifer, slow down and tell me what's wrong," Calleigh said. "I-I hate him for what he did to me!" Jennifer sobbed. "Jen, just calm down. I'm on my way," Calleigh said. She grabbed her stuff quickly. "I don't know when I'll be home," she called to Eric. He didn't get a chance to respond before the elevator doors closed behind her and she disappeared.

Jennifer had somewhat calmed down by the time Calleigh arrived. She was still in the hospital, but her arm had now mostly healed. "Jen, what happened?" Calleigh asked, walking into the room and sitting down in the chair by the hospital bed. Calleigh seemed to be in that chair at least every few days now. "W-What Travis did to me," she said softly. Travis was the one who, along with his partner, Randal, had killed her father. Randal had killed Jennifer's father because of a business deal that didn't work out quite right, and Travis, his brother, had been told to keep Jennifer busy. "Calleigh, I'm scared," she said softly. "Jennifer, we have him in jail. He can't hurt you," Calleigh said. "But I'm sixteen, and..... I don't want to raise his kid!" Jennifer cried, breaking back into frantic sobs. Calleigh was taken back. Memories began to pound her in the face as she listened to Jennifer. What had happened to her was practically reliving itself in this young girl. "C-Calleigh, can I ask you something?" Jennifer asked, calming her sobs again and breaking Calleigh from her waves of bad memories. "Uhh, yeah, sure, anything," Calleigh said, blinking away the visions. "Do you think I can do this?" she asked in a whisper. "Jennifer, i think you can. You're a strong girl." Jennifer sighed. "Can I ask you one more thing." "Of course." "Do you ever forget?" she asked so quietly Calleigh could barely hear her. Calleigh closed her eyes. "I've known people who in a few years they can go back to living their lives normally...." "But what?" Jennifer asked. "I think it depends on the person," Calleigh said. "I know someone who..... she remembers every night before she goes to bed. It's getting a little better after three years, but it's still there. She loves her husband, and wants to give him the things he occasionally wants, but when it comes down to that time, the pain emotionally is often too much." Jennifer rolled over to looked at her. "This person wouldn't be you, would it?' she asked quietly. Calleigh looked at her. "You're a smart girl Jen," she said, forcing a small smile across her face. "And you can do anything you set your mind on. I've known people to give up after less than what you've already had to go through, and I promise that things don't get easier quickly. But you have more heart than a lot of people I know," Calleigh said. Jennifer's cheeks tinted a light pink, and she dropped Calleigh's eye contact for several moments before she looked at her again. "Calleigh, one more thing," Jennifer said. "I think.... I think that the woman you were talking about should go home and try to talk to their husband and let them know how they still feel. And maybe then things will change for that woman. I think that woman needs to shed her tough shell, and let the soft part underneath be exposed for a while." Calleigh just gave her another small, forced smile. "If you need anything, you just call," Calleigh said. Jennifer nodded, before motioning towards the door. "Make sure that woman does the right thing," she said softly. Calleigh gave her a small smile, this one real. "I will," she said softly, heading for the exit. Jennifer just stared after her. As she left, her smile faded, and she curled back up into her bed, trying to dream it all away. 


	4. Strength Through Weakness

**Strength Through Weakness**  
Eric sat silently in the waiting room. Three days had passed, and he was waiting on the doctor. Calleigh's surgery had been today, but neither had spoken much of it up until then. Finally, a young man stepped over to him. "Eric Delko?" he asked. Eric stood up. "How is she?" "Recovering well. Procedure was quick and accurate. She should be awake rather quickly." "Any idea when she can come home?" "A few days here for safety precautions, then I'm sure she'll be able to go home. Give her a few weeks after that and I'm sure she'll be cleared for work." Eric nodded. "May I go see her?" "Yes, but I don't think she'll be awake quite yet," the doctor said. Eric thanked him kindly, then headed for Calleigh's room.

Her eyes were closed as he entered the room. He sat down in the chair next to her, just watching her. After about ten minutes, her eyes slowly blinked open. She seemed dazed, and a little confused about where she was. "Easy, Calleigh, you're fine," he said. Calleigh turned her head. "Eric? Eric, where's Emily?" she asked. "Alexx is gladly baby-sitting her," Eric said. "Oh." She was quiet. Unlike she'd told Jennifer, she still hadn't talked to him yet. "How are you feeling?" Eric asked her. "Tired, and a little sore, but otherwise alright," she said. "I'm glad you're here though," she said softly. He smiled. "I could never leave you alone during something like this," he said. She sighed. "What's wrong?" he asked her. "Eric..... we need to talk." "About what?" he asked. "Eric......I'm sorry." "Sorry about what?" he asked. "Sorry about all of the fights. Sorry that I can't give you any more children. Sorry that I'm such a wreck." He gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand. "Calleigh, none of this is your fault," he said softly. "I'm sorry I've been so distant with you Cal, but I love you. Nothing can change that," he said. Calleigh sighed again, closing her eyes. "C'mon Cal, let me know what's on your mind," Eric said softly. "Eric, I-I still relive it," she whispered. "I feel so weak, since it's been so long and I still can't get over it. I feel like I'm disappointing you, because of what I can't do for you physically and emotionally. But I don't want to be strong Eric. I want to be express how I feel, and-" she cut herself off, refusing to let herself go that far. She'd said enough as it is. "Calleigh, honey, you don't have to be strong," he said. "I love you because you are you. Not because of what you have, or can do. And I don't want you to suffer alone. I want to still be the one you confess to; the one who you let yourself open up to," he said. "Please Calleigh, let me help," he whispered. Suddenly, she rolled over to face him. As the silent tears began to fall, they held each other close, neither wanting to let go.

The next day, Calleigh was already recovering well. Well enough that the doctors allowed her to briefly visit Jennifer. As she sat in the chair, Jennifer just looked at her. "Something bothering you?" Calleigh asked softly. "No, I just felt sick this morning," Jennifer said softly. "It gets better as you go along," Calleigh said sympathetically. Jennifer sighed. "Did that woman talk to her husband?" Jennifer asked. Calleigh looked at her. "Yeah, they talked." "And?" "I guess they're ok. They're working on it," she said. "They both love each other, and they're working on forgetting the past now." "That's good," Jennifer said softly. "I just wish Jason would treat me the same way." "Jason?" "Oh, umm.... my boyfriend, Jason Whitman," Jennifer said quietly. "He and I saw each other often, even after what happened, but since I told him I was pregnant.... I haven't seen him," she said. She closed her eyes. "Tonight's prom. I bet he's with some other girl." Calleigh looked at her. "How old is he anyway?" "He's nineteen. He's a senior. I guess he doesn't want to raise a kid that isn't his with a sophomore girl," she said quietly. Calleigh gave her hand a small squeeze. "I'll be right back," she said softly. She was sore and slow to get up, but made her way out into the hallway and out of Jennifer's sight before she pulled out her phone. "Nat? Yeah, it's Calleigh. No, I'm fine. But I need you to run a favor for me. Yes, Miami High. Find Jason Whitman. No, I just want to see if he's there and if he's with anyone. I'll explain later. You will? Thanks Nat." She hung up the phone, and went to Jennifer's room and sat back down next to her. The two were soon lost in conversation.

Natalia pulled up in front of the high school. "I remember my high school prom," she said, looking over at Ryan. "I remember parts of mine," he said. A raised eyebrow from Natalia made him look down. "Umm, we should go inside now," he said. She smiled, then followed him in. Natalia showed her badge to one of the adults, and told him who they were looking for. "That's him over there," he said, pointing to a tall, blonde haired boy. Next to him was a slim, brown haired girl. "and the girl?" "Hanna Macklin. Freshman," he said. Natalia thanked him, then she and Ryan headed somewhere where they wouldn't be really obvious. Ryan went to one side of the room, Natalia the other. Ryan watched as Jason leaned in to kiss the girl. The kiss soon deepened, and the two soon headed for the parking lot. Ryan pulled out his cell. "Natalia, looks like our friend Jason is heading for his car with Hanna," he said. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" "I'm afraid so." "Meet you outside in two," she said hanging up.

Ryan followed them outside. He stopped, however, as he saw Hanna push Jason away. "No, I can't," she said. "But you will," he said, leaning her against the hood of his car. "Jason, stop!" she said as he ran his hand down her body. "Hey, stop!" Ryan called. Jason froze, unable to run as Ryan sprinted over. "Jason Whitman, you're under arrest for attempted sexual assault with a minor," he said. Jason was speechless as Ryan took him away, Natalia now standing next to Hanna.

"A freshman?" Jennifer asked softly. "I'm sorry," Calleigh said quietly. Jennifer closed her eyes. "I feel stupid for ever seeing him," she said, her chin high. Calleigh gave her a soft smile. "You are too good for him Jen," she said with a smile. "I have to go home, but I'll be by tomorrow," she said. Jennifer nodded. "Bye Calleigh." "Bye Jen," Calleigh said. She didn't really want to leave, but she also wanted to get to go home. 


	5. Healing Brokenness

**Healing Brokenness **  
Calleigh was sitting on the couch, watching as Emily played. Eric was off at work. It had been a month since her surgery now, and she was recovering nicely. She'd been several times to see Jennifer, who had stayed in the hospital still. Her wrist and arm were healing, but there had already been several scares with her pregnancy, especially with keeping her blood sugar normal. Not that Jennifer would have wanted to leave the hospital anyway, mostly because she had nowhere to go. Calleigh smiled as she picked Emily up. Her daughter, almost sixteen months old now, giggled and pointed across the room. "Ga!' she said, giggling. Calleigh smiled, walked over and picking up the stuffed bear on the floor. "This?" Calleigh asked with a smile. Emily giggled, clapping her hands. Calleigh smiled, gently kissing her daughter before giving her the bear. Emily squealed happily as she began to play. Calleigh smiled, gently setting her down on the floor before sitting next to her.

As Emily played with the bear, Calleigh gently poked her daughter's foot. Emily giggled, reaching out and grabbing Calleigh's fingers. Calleigh smiled. "You got me," she said with a smile. Emily smiled, reaching for her bear again. Calleigh grabbed the bear first, setting it quickly in her lap. "I got your bear!" she said with a grin. Emily smiled, reaching for it. She grabbed it, yanking it and holding it close. "Ga!" she said again. Calleigh's face was bright as she played with her daughter, not even hearing as the front door opened.

As he heard laughter, Eric grew quiet upon entering the house. He gently shut the door, then walked to the entryway to the living room. He smiled as he saw Calleigh sitting on the floor. Emily was next to her, playing with a stuffed bear. Eric noiselessly watched as Calleigh tugged on the bear in Emily's arms. Emily giggled, pulling the bear closer before she pushed it towards Calleigh. "For me? Really? Thank you," Calleigh said with a smile. Emily smiled, then yawned. Calleigh kissed her gently, then slowly stood up before picking Emily up. Eric silently and quickly headed back for the door, opening and shutting it again. "Cal, I'm home," he said just as Calleigh walked into the hallway. She smiled. "I'm going to go put Emmy down for a nap," she said. Eric nodded, then Calleigh headed up the steps.

Later that evening, the family was sitting down to dinner. Eric had made ravioli. He watched as Calleigh cut Emily's pieces into tiny bites. He smiled as his daughter then began to feed herself, making a mess on her face and hands. Calleigh just smiled, before eating her dinner too. "How are you feeling?" Eric asked between bites. Calleigh finished her bite. "Better. Sometime next week Horatio said I could come back to work. Probably Tuesday or Wednesday." Eric nodded.

Calleigh looked down at her food. Ever since she'd told him how she'd felt, things were different. They were talking more, but she still felt a slight tension in the air. "Something wrong?" Eric asked her. She looked up, smiling. "No, just thinking," she said. She finished, then took her plate to the sink and washing it. "About what?" Eric asked. "A lot," Calleigh said. "You want to talk about it?" Eric asked, standing up. He took up his plate and Emily's before going to wash them. "I guess," Calleigh said. She picked Emily up after cleaning her off, resting her on her hip. As she turned to head for the living room, Eric stared after her. _She's still so gorgeous_. Shaking his head, he followed after her.

Calleigh set Emily down in her playpen, giving her the stuffed bear, along with the stack of stackable plastic boxes already in the pen. Eric sat on the couch, and Calleigh quickly joined him. She sighed, leaning over and resting her head on his chest. "So, what have you been thinking about?" he asked softly. "Just now or recently?" she asked. "Whichever," he said. "Whatever you want to tell." She sighed. "I don't know. A lot I guess," she said. "I mean, first, our daughter is sixteen months old. So much has happened since she was born. We've been fighting so much, and so many things have been going on. And it's not your fault we're fighting, and it's not mine either. It's just a problem we need to deal with." "I know Calleigh. And I'm trying to fix that," he said. "I'm trying too," Calleigh said. "But even so, even with us talking a being a little more open, there is still a tension there. I can feel it Eric, and I'm pretty sure you can too." He quietly nodded. "I just want us to be happy again," she said quietly. "I'm trying Cal," he said softly. "I'm trying to help you in anyway I can, and I'm trying to do what's best for us. What's best for our daughter. And I know that you still aren't perfect. You never will be, but that's what makes you who you are. I wouldn't love you like I do now if you were perfect. And I'm not mad at you for anything. I'm not mad that you dream. I'm not mad about what you remember. I'm not mad that you can't do some things. I'm certainly not mad that you just had a major health problem, and fixed it in the only way possible. None of those things are your fault, and I'm sorry if it ever seemed like I was mad at you because of it. I just need you to open up to me Calleigh. I can't fix what I don't know is broken," he said. "And I'm sorry too Eric," she said. "I'm sorry that I can't open up to you. I'm sorry I can't trust you like you want me to. And I'm mad that I can't, and I don't know why I can't, I just know that I can't, and there's nothing I can do about it to fix it. I'm just trying to do the best that I can. Eric, I can't live without you." "And I can't live without you either Calleigh," he said, gently kissing the top of her head. She looked up, softly kissing him back. "Eric, I don't want to feel broken anymore," she whispered. "Then let me try to fix the feeling of brokenness," he said. He softly rubbed her shoulders, and she sighed. "Stay here," Eric said, sitting up. Confused, Calleigh watched him stand up. He picked up Emily, who had started to doze off. He carried her upstairs, putting her to bed before he came back down to where Calleigh was. He sat back down, pulling her close again as she laid her head against him and snuggled close. Eric began to tenderly and soothingly run his fingers through her soft hair. She sighed calmly, closing her green eyes. Not long after she did, Eric felt her fall into deep sleep. He continued to stroke her until he too fell still, succumbing to his will to sleep. 


	6. What Now?

**Now What?**  
Calleigh had been back at work for a month now. She was working on a ballistics lab report in her lab. She muttered under her breath. Six shell casings. One crime scene. Not one casing matched any of the others. Frustrated, she snapped off her gloves, hanging up her apron. "bad day?" Eric asked, walking up to her. "Don't ask," she said. "Where are you going?" "I promised I'd meet someone. I'll be home for dinner. Make sure you pick up Emily from your Mom's on the way home." Eric watched as the elevator doors closed and Calleigh disappeared. He looked at the clock. "Another hour here," he said softly as he headed back to work.

Calleigh slowly walked into Jennifer's hospital room. "Hey," Jennifer said in a soft voice. Calleigh smiled. "Hey," she said. "How are you feeling?" "Really nauseous, but otherwise fine I guess." Calleigh gave her a sympathetic smile. "It'll get easier the farther along you get." Jennifer shrugged. "Not that it matters. Calleigh... they said I have to leave tomorrow. I... I don't want to go to a foster home," she said softly. Calleigh sighed, patting her shoulder. "I'll see what I can do Jen... but it'll be hard," she replied. Jennifer just sighed, turning over again. Calleigh shook her head, then had an idea. She pulled out her cell phone, and stepped into the hallway.

Eric looked in his mirror. Emily was crying in her carseat. "Hold on baby Em, just another minute or so," he said. He heard his phone ring, making Emily's cries more piercing. "Delko," he said. "Eric? Is Emily ok?" Calleigh asked as she heard the screeching in the car. "Yeah, just tired. Mom said she played all day," Eric said, pulling into the drive. He pressed the phone between his shoulder and ear as he took Emily out of her carseat, carrying the flustered child upstairs and to her bedroom. "So what's going on?" Eric asked Calleigh as he laid Emily down in her bed. The child was quickly asleep, so Eric left the room. "Well... Eric, I think we should let Jennifer move in with us." Eric stopped in the middle of the hallway. "Calleigh... you what?" "i'm serious!" "what are we going to do with a pregnant sixteen year old? School? Cost? And then what about when she has her baby?" "Eric, she can't be put into a foster home." "Why not? Cal, I think you're becoming too attached to her." "because I know what she's going through," Calleigh said, her voice raising. She moved farther down the hall. "Eric, look. School is almost out. The hospital says they don't want her going back until next year anyway because of her health. By then, the baby should be due. And we still have all of Emily's stuff to help her until she can get her own footing." "And what about work? What is she going to do when we work?" "Babysit Emily in return for room and board." "Calleigh, I don't like this. Not one bit." "Eric... please." Eric sighed, her voice begging. "Fine. But only until she's on her feet." Calleigh smiled. "Thank you Eric... thank you so much!" she said. "Love you," she said. "Love you too," he said right as she clicked the phone shut. Eric sighed, shaking his head.

Calleigh walked into Jennifer's room. She was reading a book. "What're you reading?" Calleigh asked her softly. Jennifer closed the book. "To Kill a Mockingbird. I was supposed to be reading it for school before... this." Calleigh smiled. "Well, I have something to propose to you." "What?" "If you'd like... Eric and I would like to offer you a place to stay until you get on your feet. You can use the stuff I used for Emily when she was born, and if you can babysit Emily while Eric and I are at work, we'll cover your room and board." Jennifer smiled, and it was the first time Calleigh had ever seen her genuinely smile. "You're serious? All of that... for me?" "Yes, for you. You said you didn't want to move into a foster home... so I'll do that paperwork and cover it." Jennifer smiled, tears brimming in her eyes. Calleigh smiled, wrapping the young girl in a warm embrace.

The next day, the hospital cleared Jennifer to go home, and the authorities allowed her to go home with Eric and Calleigh. Jennifer was quiet as they pulled up to the house. Calleigh patted her knee, then went to take Emily inside. Eric looked at Jennifer. "It'll be ok," he said. She quietly nodded as they headed inside. "We set up the guestroom for you," Calleigh said as she set Emily in her playpen. "All of Emily's emergency stuff is posted on the fridge in the kitchen, which is over there. I'm sorry we have to leave, but we just got an urgent case call. "It's fine..." Jennifer said with a soft smile. Calleigh smiled back, then grabbed her stuff. She and Eric hurried off, leaving Emily alone with Jennifer. "Now what am I supposed to do?" Jennifer asked softly, looking around. 


	7. Figuring it Out

**Figuring it Out**  
Jennifer stared at the small child in front of her. "Umm... hi," she said quietly, getting down and sitting cross-legged on the floor. "I'm Jennifer, but you can call me Jen. Well, if you want. Err... can, I guess. I don't... really know much about babies. I mean, I'm trying to learn for my little one, but I just, it's a learning experience I guess. So, your name is Emily, right?" Emily giggled, clapping her hands before picking up her small stuffed alligator. "Got it. So... do you, I guess... want to play?" Emily smiled, tossing the toy at Jennifer before it bounced off the top of her rounded stomach. "Hey now... I was told to be gentle with you. Maybe you could do the same with me," she said with a soft smile. Emily smiled, pointing at the toy she'd tossed at Jennifer. "Awigador!" Jennifer smiled. "Alligator?" Emily nodded, and Jennifer grinned. "You're definitely a Miami baby," she said, picking the toy up and handing it to Emily. She smiled as Emily started to play with it. Jennifer then laid her hand on her rounding stomach with a sigh. "What am I going to do about you?" she asked softly. "I mean... there's a difference between a kid as old as Emily and you when you're born. I mean, I don't know the first thing about being a mom. It's not like I ever really had one." She jumped, startled from her thought as Emily sat on her lap. She handed Jennifer her giant ball. "What?" Jennifer asked. Emily jumped up, going as fast as her legs would take her across the room. She then sat down with a loud thump, throwing/rolling the ball right at Jennifer. Jennifer smiled, rolling it softly back to her. Emily giggled, kicking and stomping her feet as she grabbed the ball, rolling it back. Jennifer chuckled as it went two feet to her side. She reached out to grab it, then rolled it back. Emily smiled, and she and Jennifer continued their game for what felt like forever.

Calleigh silently opened the door to the house. She didn't hear any noise, and hurried inside with Eric on her heels. She stopped, smiling as she saw Jennifer asleep. She was sitting on the floot, back against the couch and head resting against the couch as well. Emily was asleep in her lap. Calleigh smiled, then walked over to them. She kneeled beside them. Jennifer's eyes slowly opened as she felt Eric pick up Emily. "Wh-what?" "Nothing, it's just time for bed for Emily. You hungry?" "Yeah, kinda. Oh, Emily already ate though. Her fed her not to long ago." Calleigh smiled as Eric went to put Emily in her crib. "Anything in particular you're hungry for?" she asked as she got up. "Not really." Calleigh smiled and nodded, heading to the kitchen for to make a quick dinner. Jennifer didn't say much as she set the table. Calleigh watched her, but didn't push her for anything. Calleigh smiled though as Eric came up behind her, planting a small kiss on her cheek. Calleigh kissed him back before she went to collect the food before it burned.

That night, Jennifer stared up at the ceiling. She sighed, mind wandering. She kept tossing at turning, unable to calm either her thoughts or her movements. She couldn't seem to get comfortable either. She finally drifted off into a restless sleep, her conscious anything but settled. She woke with a start less than an hour later, softly crying. Tears streamed down her face as she kept flashing images of her father in her mind, as well as the man who had killed him, and the man who had then raped her. She curled herself up into a tight ball, pulling her sheets as close to her as she could in her self-made cocoon.

"Calleigh, wake up. Calleigh. Calleigh, wake up!" Eric nudged Calleigh again, a little harder. He ducked back in time to move out of the way of the flailing hand that nearly smacked into his face as his wife's eyes flew open. "Sweetie, what were you dreaming about?" Eric asked her softly. Calleigh closed her eyes again, pushing away the images replaying in her mind. "Just a bad dream," she said in a whisper. "What about? You kept whimpering and crying out. Do you want to talk about it?" Calleigh shook her head. "It's no big deal. I was just..." "Dreaming of him, right?" Calleigh sighed, but slowly nodded her head. Eric sighed. "It's alright babe, I've got you," he pulled her close to him. "You going to be ok?" "Yeah, I think so. It just scared me a little bit. I've been dreaming about it less than ever before, so it just caught me by surprise tonight. But it's fine. Go back to sleep Eric," she said. He sighed, but nodded and closed his eyes. Calleigh pressed her body against his, letting her back slide along and rest against his chest and abdomen. His arm draped over her again, and she gave a small, comforted smile. She rested her head in the crook of his neck, pulling the blanket taught around them. He kept his eyes closed, but refused to let sleep consume him. He waited until her breathing was calm and steady, signaling to him that she was soundly asleep. He ran his fingers gently through her long hair. "I love you Cal," he said, his voice barely audible. He then smiled noiselessly, finally letting his body fall into the sleep it so badly desired.

* * *

AN- So, I'm about to go away from a computer for over a week, so it'll be longer than that before I can update. I know I've VERY inconsistent, but my real life is more important to me than this story. I will do my best, however, to keep this story from going dormant again. Any ideas will be welcome!


	8. Emergency

**Emergency**

Tires screeched. Eric looked up from the bench he was sitting on outside, knowing who it was. "Calleigh, slow down," Eric called after her as she flew out of her car, racing into the building. Eric was thankful Emily was with his mother as he darted after Calleigh. With Calleigh's judgment clouded by worry, Eric fought to prevent his mind from doing the same. He hurried after her.

Jennifer's eyes closed as her body was consumed by pain. She cried out, voice filled with fear and hurt. "Calleigh, please make it stop," she pleaded, eyes blinking through tears before they closed again.

Calleigh's head was buried in her hands. In the chair next to her, Eric sat silently, his hand softly rubbing Calleigh's back. "I don't understand," Calleigh said in a soft voice, raising her head and staring straight ahead. "She's been with us for three months now, and there was nothing that happened to lead to this." "I know, babe. The doctors are doing everything they can," he said quietly. He too had become attached to the young girl. While letting Jennifer move in hadn't been an idea he liked, he'd grown fond of her as he'd watched her care for Emily. It was obviously Calleigh had fallen for the girl in a motherly fashion.

During the past three months, they had practically become a family. While Eric and Calleigh worked, Jennifer watched Emily. The little girl grew attached to Jennifer almost as quickly as Calleigh had. Jennifer too had begun to open up. She smiled often now, and voiced her mind more. Growing comfortable with Calleigh and Eric, she had begun to settle in.

This morning, Eric had taken Emily to his mother's. Calleigh had headed to the grocery store. On her way home, Calleigh's cell had rang. It was Jennifer, and her voice was wracked with pain. Calleigh hardly understood the teenager's distressed words. She was interrupted by Eric, who had arrived home already. He told Calleigh he was taking Jennifer to the hospital to try to discover the reason behind her unbearable pain. Groceries in the back seat forgotten, Calleigh headed to meet him.

Jennifer had watched as Calleigh had tried to enter her room, only to be escorted away by doctors. "no, please, let her stay," Jennifer pleaded, before another cry of pain escaped her lips. The doctor looked at her. "Young lady, please, try to relax," she said. She had a worried look on her face, and other nurses were rushing around the room. Jennifer closed her eyes, squeezing them tight to fight the tears in them. It was to no avail, as they fell anyways. She groaned, her lower abdomen twisting on itself again. "We have to get this baby out, now." "But… only seven months," Jennifer mumbled, mind overwhelmed. "Listen to me, Jennifer. You're suffering from a placental abruption. That means your placenta has detached from your uterus. If we don't take this baby out now, there's a chance you will both die," she said. By now, a nurse was working an IV into Jennifer, and prepping an anesthetic for a c-section. Jennifer opened her mouth to say something, but all that escaped was a moan. The doctors rushed to finish prepping. "Please… Calleigh," she whispered, voicing breaking. One of the nurses looked at the doctor, who just sighed and nodded. "She needs to stay far back. And only beause this girl is a minor." The nurse, almost looking relieved, hurried from the room.

Calleigh and Eric looked up as they heard fast-approaching footsteps. "I'm presuming you're Calleigh," the nurse said. She was answered with a quick nod. "Please, come with me. I'll explain on the way." Calleigh looked at Eric, who patted her knee. Calleigh quickly rose to her feet, following the nurse.

Calleigh stood back, watching silently and helplessly as the doctors cut an incision along Jennifer's abdomen. Despite a local anesthetic being used, Jennifer was struggling to stay conscious and was surrounded by nurses and doctors. Calleigh's stare on the girl was broken as she heard a feeble cry. She turned her head, just as a tiny infant disappeared from view. "Get him into NICU, now," the doctor ordered. Calleigh turned back to Jennifer. "Too much blood loss," she heard, as Jennifer groaned again. "Daddy," she murmured, before the monitors next to her began to beep frantically. "What's going on?" Calleigh asked, voice rising. "it's time for you to leave," the doctor said. "But-" "Now." Calleigh hesitated, but one of the nurses ushered her from the room.

Calleigh stood outside the door, pacing. She walked back and forth a few minutes, then turned and strode back towards where she'd left Eric. "What's going on?" he asked her. "Is she ok?" "I-I don't know. The baby… it cried." "That's good, but Jennifer. How is she?" "I don't know, they made me leave. Eric, she has to be ok." Eric pulled her close, wrapping her in a comforting embrace as his mind tried to process it all. He saw a doctor approaching, and released Calleigh. Calleigh recognized it as the doctor who had been working on Jennifer. "What's going on? How is she?" "Jennifer suffered a placental abruption, meaning her placenta detached from her uterine wall. We had to perform an emergency caesarian section in order to try to save the lives of her and the unborn child. The baby, a boy, is currently in the NICU. He's in an incubator, and is having assistance with his breathing. He's small, but I have a feeling will survive. On the other hand, Jennifer bled profusely, and we had trouble stopping the bleeding. We had problems getting her to clot, and she's suffering from shock. We're monitoring her other internal organs, particularly her kidneys. She's unconscious right now. She's tough, but is in for a very long road for recovery. The next 24-hours will be critical. We're setting her up in a room now, you can see her once that is done. Her son is in NICU, but you can visit him if you'd like." She motioned them to follow, heading towards the NICU. The couple followed in silence.


	9. The Unthinkable

**The Unthinkable**

Standing and staring into the incubator, Eric was speechless. The tiny child before him, connected to several wires and tubes, was one of the smallest he'd ever seen. Calleigh pressed close to Eric, looking at the child as well. The doctor cleared her throat, and the two turned to face her. "His lungs aren't fully developed, which is why he's being assisted with his breathing. Yes, he's small, but rather developed otherwise. He should be fine in the long term, just a bit slow here in the beginning. Now, I can lead you to Jennifer's room, it's ready now." Again, without waiting for an answer, she walked off. Calleigh glanced once more at the tiny baby, then she and Eric followed.

Monitors gave off rhythmic beeps, the only noise piercing the silence as Calleigh and Eric sat by Jennifer's bedside for several hours. Eric soon quietly stood up, walking into the hall. He called his mother, asking her to watch Emily that night. When he walked back into the room, he looked at Calleigh. Her eyes were tired and sad, but there was something else there. He dug through his mind, and it finally hit him. Calleigh too had gone into early labor, after his father had nearly killed her trying to kidnap her. Except the little boy had died. Now, Jennifer's son was alive, while his mother struggled for life. He sat back down next to her, kissing the top of her head gently. She leaned over, resting his head on her shoulder. "We can't lose her Eric…" "I know babe. She's a fighter. She'll pull through this." Calleigh sighed, closing her eyes and letting her mind wander. She tried not to think of her lost son, or the fact that she ran the risk of losing Jennifer. Slowly, she faded into an uneasy sleep, Eric soon following.

Loud beeping startled the two from their sleep. Calleigh jumped to her feet as nurses and doctors began to fill the room. "What's going on?" "Her kidneys are losing function. Please, step outside," the doctor said. Calleigh and Eric had no choice but to leave the room. Again, they stood by helplessly. A nurse nearby saw them. She walked over and motioned towards a few chairs a short ways away. Feeling numb, Calleigh trudged over to them before practically collapsing into one. Eric stood next to her, unable to bring himself to sit. The two remained that way for what felt like forever, before one of the doctors walked out of Jennifer's room. He looked over towards the two and sighed.

"No…" Calleigh whispered, mouth suddenly feeling dry and unable to move. "I'm sorry, there was nothing we could do. Her body just started shutting down on itself." "There has to be something-" "I'm terribly sorry for your loss," the doctor said, shifting uncomfortably. Calleigh began to sob, and Eric held her close as he too felt tears begin to fall from his eyes. The doctor quietly excused himself, leaving the grieving couple in the hallway. "Eric… her son…" "He will be our son," Eric whispered, keeping Calleigh close. She squeezed her eyes shut, desperately trying to wish away the horrors.


	10. New Life

**New Life**

It had been three days since Jennifer's death. Now standing behind a table at the lab, Calleigh struggled to stay focused. She looked at the casings under the microscope, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Finally, she gave up, and went to hang up her coat. It was time for her to leave anyways. She saw Eric in the hallway, already ready to go. Horatio looked at the two of them, his blue eyes soft and sympathetic. "If you need anything, let me know," he said to them as they walked into the elevator. Calleigh looked down at her feet. "Thanks, H," Eric replied. As the doors to the elevator closed, Horatio nodded.

Three hours later, Calleigh stared at where Jennifer's body had just been buried next to her father. Eric had his arm around Calleigh's shoulder, staring at the grave as well. Emily was asleep in the stroller. "Come on, let's go see Adam," he said quietly. Jennifer's son had been named Adam, after her father. Calleigh looked up from the grave, staring into the distance. "Eric…" He waited for her to finish. When she didn't, he looked at her. "What is it Calleigh?" "Eric… why did this happen? She was a sweet, sweet girl." "Calleigh, sometimes, these things happen. You know that." "Yes, but why her?" "Why any of the victims we see in our job? Sometimes, bad things happen to good people," he said. Calleigh looked down. "Eric, I can't focus at work. She's on my mind all the time. And then, it's stirring up again what happened to me. I thought I was finally starting to move on, and suddenly it's here again, in my face. I can't even grieve for her right, because my mind is haunting me with this." Eric rubbed her arm. "You're grieving Calleigh, it's normal. Jen was like a daughter to us. You knew what she was going through and understood it. She looked up to you like the mother she never had. And I know it's hard. It's hard for me, too. But you're going to get through this. We are going to get through this. Together. I promise. I know you're hurting, but you're strong Cal. You're going to be ok. Now, come on. Let's go check on her son. Our son." Her hand in his, he guided her towards the car as he pushed the stroller with his other hand.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Eric looked at Calleigh. "Are you sure you want to go in by yourself?" Calleigh quietly nodded. "Take Em home, she looks exhausted. I'll be fine." Eric sighed. "Alright. Call if you need anything." "I will," Calleigh said, getting out of the car. She headed for the NICU.

Adam was still intubated and hooked up to the feeding tube, although the doctors were already talking about seeing if he could breathe on his own. Only weighing three pounds, they wanted to keep him at least until he weighed five or six, if everything else went well. Calleigh walked over to the isolette the baby was in. He was asleep, and she sat down next to the incubator. She sighed, and began to talk to the sleeping infant. "Adam… I don't know what to do. I want to do right by your mom. I can't have any more kids, and Eric always wanted a son, so I keep telling myself to be optimistic about this. But… it's hard. Your mom was a sweet girl. And Eric's right. I know exactly where she was coming from and how she felt. No, I wasn't sixteen. But being raped and having to carry that child… I know what that's like. The difference is… you survived, and she didn't. I survived, and my son didn't. I don't understand it, I really don't. I mean, I've been exposed to a lot of death. I know that it's a part of life. But… your mom was like my daughter. When she had no one else, I tried to do everything I could for her so that she'd somewhat feel normal again. But I know she had nightmares. She relived what happened to her. Just like I did. And it's hard, you know? Seeing someone you care about so much in that much pain and suffering like that. I don't know how Eric did it for me. He's been such a rock for me. When this all started, he was there for me. He's taken such good care for me. And I know he's hurting now too, but he's doing everything he can to look out for me. He's dealing with his own emotions, while also looking after Emily and making sure I'm ok. He's pretty amazing, Adam. You're going to love him just as much as we love you. You're our son now. You need to stay strong, and fight hard so we can bring you home. Your mom was a fighter, and I know you are too. So keep going. Because… I can't lose you too. I'm trying really hard to keep it together, and losing you would be too much. You're my tie to Jen, and I know she would have made an amazing mother to you. Since she can't, I'm going to make sure that you're well cared for. So keep fighting, and hang in there." She sighed, looking down a moment. Relief seemed to slowly move over her. She looked up as she heard a nurse approaching.

"How is he doing?" Calleigh asked. "Well. Like they've said, they're hoping he'll start breathing on his own in the next few days. He's having few issues with it now. He's on the feeding tube, but that will probably come out in the next few days as well. He's handling the food he's been given well. The times you've been here these last few days has been good for his human contact as well. I'd say he'll be home in two weeks, maybe a little longer. He's sure one tough little fighter." Calleigh nodded, when she felt her phone buzz. "Excuse me," she said, walking out of the room. She opened her phone, and saw a call from Eric. She dialed his number again.

"Eric, what's up?" "I got a call from H. Listen… if you don't want, you don't have to come. There was a double homicide on the beach a little while ago. Lots of casings. Horatio said you didn't have to come out." Calleigh sighed. "No… I'll be there." "You already said earlier you're having problems focusing with all that's going on. Maybe you should just stay there." Calleigh shook her head, despite knowing he couldn't see her. "No, work will be good for me. I'm on my way." Before he could protest anymore, she hung up. She walked back into the NICU, and saw Adam had his eyes open. She quickly washed her hands, then reached her arms through the incubator to place her hand next to his. His little hand came into contact with hers, and she couldn't help but smile. "I'll be back soon," she whispered. "Keep fighting." She then smiled at the nurse, before heading out to the parking lot. Eric was there shortly to pick her up, and they headed for the crime scene.

* * *

Wow... over a year without updating, then three posts in one night. Sorry, I'd kinda forgotten about this story... then I saw the file on my computer, and remembered I never finished the story. Figured better way late than never, right? Can't promise how far it will be between updates (hopefully not another year), but I'll try to get this story finished and at a good ending. For now, I'd like to apologize. Wonder if anyone still reads this story or follows it... Anyways, hope you enjoy these new chapters, and I hope to have more in the near (hopefully) future.


	11. Lessons from the Past

**Lessons from the Past**

Eric and Ryan had nearly finishing processing the scene by the time Calleigh arrived. Ryan looked at her, but didn't say anything, just gave her a gentle smile. Calleigh gave him a small smile back, then looked at Eric. "Well, they all appear to be from one of two guns," Eric started. "One gun was found on the male victim, Dylan Coorman, age 35. The suspect had the other gun, which was what killed both Dylan and his wife, Angela Coorman, age 32. Now, we're suspecting the victim managed to shoot the perpetrator before he disappeared, since the blood trail behind you leads away from the bodies before it abruptly stops. Probably got into a car or something. Which, if so, made our case a lot easier. Natalia and Horatio are already contacting local hospitals to see if anyone has come in recently with a gunshot wound." Calleigh nodded, peering over the casings. "Well, yes, some of these look like they're from the victim's Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 38. It's a .38 caliber, just like these bullets here. These others… I'd say from a Glock of some sort. They're .45 caliber, so yeah, definitely a different gun. Let's get them back to the lab, and I can identify them for sure." Eric nodded, and the group completed their last few tasks in the process.

Calleigh stared into the microscope. After her earlier confession to Adam, she found herself focusing on work easier. She ignored the ache in her heart, keeping focused on work instead. After a few moments, she smiled. She went over to her computer, clicked around a little, and printed off her results. She headed into the hallway, where Horatio was walking by. "Ok, so, some of the bullets did come from Coorman's Smith & Wesson. That's a 5 round capacity gun. There were two still loaded, and we found two at the crime scene. My guess is one is still lodged in the killer. The other bullets, as I suspected, were from a Glock 38, which is the .45 caliber weapon. The striations came up with a hit." "Let me guess. Stanley Hilstin." Calleigh smiled and nodded. "How'd you know?" "Found him in Miami-Dade General Hospital recovering from a gunshot wound to the shoulder." Calleigh handed him the report. "Fits with my findings. Any idea of a motive?" "He's still recovering from surgery, but once he's awake, I intend to find out," Horatio said. "Calleigh, may I ask you something?" he asked. "Sure," she replied, although she wasn't sure she wanted to know what he was going to ask. "How are you doing?" was his question as his pale eyes met her fiery green ones. It reminded Calleigh of the way he looked at her in the hospital when she was attacked. She sighed. "As well as one can imagine I presume," she answered. "Worried about the baby. The doctors say he'll be fine, which is good I guess. Just… we weren't planning on completely raising this child Horatio. Sure, we were going to help Jennifer, but we didn't think we'd have full custody of him." "So you do have full custody then?" "Well, working on it. We had become Jen's legal guardians, so we're finishing the paperwork to be Adam's guardian as well." Horatio nodded. "Well, if you need some time, let me know. And if there's anything I can do for you and Eric, please, let me know." Calleigh nodded. "Promise me that, Calleigh. Promise me you'll ask for help if you need it." Calleigh looked back into his eyes, seeing the sincerity and concern they held. "I promise, H," she said. He smiled warmly. "Good. Now, go home. We've got this case about finished." She nodded, then went to the elevator to head to her locker.

Calleigh leaned against the hood of the car, waiting for Eric. She rubbed her temples. It had been a long day, and it was already 8. Finally, Eric emerged from the building. Calleigh watched him quietly. He looked tired and worn out, just like her. She sighed. He smiled when he saw her, and she smiled back. She kissed his cheek once he was close enough. "Come on, let's get Emily and head home," she said. "I agree. I'll cook something fast when we get home. I'm tired." "Yeah, me too," Calleigh said with a sigh. Eric leaned over, kissing her forehead softly before opening her car door.

Emily went to bed easily that night, exhausted. Calleigh stood in the doorframe of her room, silently watching the child sleep. She jumped as she heard noises behind her. She turned around to see Eric. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he said softly. "Dinner's ready, come on and eat," he said. Calleigh nodded, turning and heading into the kitchen. Eric peered at his daughter for a moment. She was looking more and more like Calleigh each day. Her eyes had the same mesmerizing shade as her mother, and her hair was only a slight tint darker. He smiled, then it disappeared as he thought of Adam. He knew how much the child meant to Calleigh. He too resembled his mother. He only had a little hair, but what was there was the same rich brown Jennifer had had. Eric had a feeling his greyish blue eyes would soon morph into the hazel mixture of Jennifer's eyes. But, despite everything, Eric felt unsure about them adopting Adam. Yes, he had always wanted a son. Yes, he knew he and Calleigh couldn't have any more children. But… "Eric, you coming?" he heard Calleigh softly call. Eric shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking like this. He gently closed the door to Emily's room, then headed to join Calleigh in the kitchen. They ate quickly and quietly, ready to find themselves in bed. Tomorrow was Saturday, and neither had plans for the morning.

After changing his clothes, Eric found Calleigh already in bed. He couldn't help but smile. Even after everything she'd been through, she was still absolutely gorgeous. With her head resting on the pillow, her body tucked into almost a ball, he couldn't help but feel even more love for her. He quietly climbed into the bed next to her, and she immediately rolled into him. He held her close. "I love you, Calleigh. With all my heart," he whispered. He saw tears well in her eyes, and he used his thumb to gently brush them away. "I love you too, Eric," she softly. She closed her eyes, and he kissed her forehead. He felt his heart swell, knowing she trusted him enough to see her this vulnerable. She fought with herself to not appear weak, but he was glad that, at least tonight, she trusted him enough to let him see this side of her. Soon, Calleigh's breathing had settled into a rhythm, and Eric knew she was asleep. He closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep himself.

_Calleigh opened the door, and heard Emily and Jennifer playing in the room over. She set her keys down, then glanced through the doorway. Jennifer was sitting on the couch, one hand resting gently on her slightly extended abdomen. Emily was in her playpen, giggling as she played with her stuffed animals. Jennifer was watching the girl closely, eyes soft and caring. She looked over at Calleigh, hearing her come into the doorway. "Hey," she said, a smile creeping onto her face. "Hey," Calleigh answered. "How'd it go today?" "It went well. She's such a sweet child. Hardly ever fusses. Just never wants to be still." Calleigh laughed. "She was never still when I was pregnant, either. It's the part of her father in her, never wanting to sit still." Jennifer smiled. "I only hope my baby is as easy as Emily has been." Calleigh smiled. "Your child has a great mom. It's going to have a good example to follow." Jennifer smirked. "Please. I'm sixteen and pregnant. My father's dead. Murdered. I'm living here, practically having everything given to me." "You work here, Jennifer. Just instead of giving you money for watching Emily, we feed you and give you somewhere to stay. And you know we filed for full custody of you, because you're like my daughter now. And Jennifer, it's not your fault you're pregnant. You were raped. What happened is not your fault." Jennifer smiled, then leaned forward to embrace Calleigh. Smiling, Calleigh leaned in to hug her back._

Calleigh's eyes flew open. "It's not your fault," she murmured. She remembered saying those words, but, she herself had never believed them. Not until now. She looked over, and saw Eric still asleep. It's what he'd been trying to tell her all along. What happened to her wasn't her fault. Being beaten and raped was not her fault. The death of her son was not her fault. For too long, she had allowed herself to take the blame. So focused on being strong, she had corrupted her mind into placing the blame on herself. Whenever she met with the family of a murder victim, she always made sure they knew what happened usually wasn't their fault. She made sure Jennifer knew it. But never had she truly taken the time to place that lesson on herself. She closed her eyes again, slowly exhaling in a soft sigh. "Thank you, Jen," she murmured. Even after her death, the young girl was teaching her more every day, and letting Calleigh turn herself into a better person. Snuggling back into Eric's body, Calleigh succumbed again to sleep.


	12. Conflicting Emotions

**Conflicting Emotions**

Calleigh felt movement in the bed. She blinked away the morning haziness from her eyes, and saw Eric sitting up. "Sorry, I was trying not to wake you," he said. "Emily's up." Calleigh just gave a quiet nod, brushing the hair out of her face as Eric got out of bed and headed to Emily's room. Calleigh rolled over, glancing at the alarm on the nightstand. It read 7:58 am. She closed her eyes again, giving a soft groan. It was too early to be up after yesterday's long day.

Eric opened the door to Emily's room. As the twenty-month old saw her father, she smiled. "Hungry dada," she said, sitting up and looking at him. Eric gave a warm smile, going over and picking her up. He set her on the floor, heading for the kitchen. Grinning, she teetered after him. Once he got to the kitchen, he strapped her into her chair, going to grab some food. "Here, start with this," he said. He grabbed a small handful of Cheerios, placing them on her tray. Emily smiled, reaching to put one in her mouth. Eric turned back to the pantry to put the box away, then went to the fridge to grab some eggs and milk. While he scrambling some eggs, he kept peering over at Emily as she ate. As he was finishing, she ate the last of the cereal "Dada, Jen play," she said. In the middle of placing the eggs in a bowl, Eric nearly dropped them. He set the bowl down, then looked at Emily. "Sorry, sweetie. She's not here." "But Jen play!" Emily said again, indignant. "No, Emily, not now. Here," he said, scooping some of the scrambled eggs into a bowl and placing them into a smaller bowl. He set them in front of her with one of her plastic spoons. "Eat," he said. Emily huffed, but did as he said. As Emily ate, Eric noticed Calleigh hadn't joined them. "Probably fell back asleep," he said. He placed about half of the remaining eggs onto his own plate, grabbing a banana from the counter as well. He ate his breakfast, then waited for Emily to finish. Once she had, he picked her up, taking her and setting her in her playpen. He went to the bedroom, poking his head inside. He smiled. Indeed, Calleigh had rolled over and fallen back asleep. He went back to the kitchen. Not wanting to toss out the extra eggs, he looked out into the living room. "Emily, want more eggs?" he asked. "No," she answered, distracted by her toys. Eric shrugged. "Can't let them go to waste," he said before grabbing another fork to finish them himself. Once he was done, he cleaned up the kitchen before going to play with Emily.

Calleigh's eyes drifted open, and she looked again towards the alarm clock. 1:08 pm. "Shit, I slept five more hours? I swear it felt like five minutes," she said. She hastily climbed out of bed. "Eric, how could you let me sleep so late?" she asked, irritated, as she walked into the living room. She stopped in her tracks. Eric was extended on the cough, asleep. Emily was curled up on his torso, and Eric had his arms around the sleeping child. Calleigh smiled. Without a word, she headed into the kitchen. She grabbed a yogurt from the fridge, and the leftovers from last night's dinner. Eating the yogurt as she reheated the food, she peered back out at her sleeping family. Again, she gave a gentle smile. She grabbed the food once it was hot, sitting to eat it. By the time she was done, she heard rustling coming from the other room. By the time she got over there, Eric was stirring as Emily crawled out of his arms and headed back for the toys. Emily saw Calleigh first. "Mama, play!" she said with a smile. "Sure honey," Calleigh said, going to join her daughter. She sat on the floor, as Emily brought over a ball to roll back and forth. As the two of them played, Calleigh looked over to Eric, who by now was sitting up on the couch. "Why didn't you get me up? You looked peaceful. I know it's been ages since you've gotten a good night's sleep, so I figured I should leave you." "Well that was sweet of you," Calleigh said with a smile before she sighed. "I need to go see Adam today. The doctors keep stressing how important it is he has human interaction and contact." "Well… why don't I go? You stay here with Emily, and I'll go see Adam. It's been a while since you and Em have gotten to enjoy some alone time," he said. "are you sure?" Calleigh asked. "Yeah, I'm sure," Eric said. "Ok, yeah, that'll work," Calleigh said. Eric nodded, then stood up. "Alright then. I'll change, then head that way." He headed to the bedroom to shower and get dressed.

Once Eric had left, Calleigh and Emily continued to play. Eventually getting bored of the ball game, Emily raced off, soon reappearing with a book. "Mama, read to me!" Calleigh smiled. "Sure," she said. She crossed her legs, and Emily settled into her lap. Calleigh read the book, Emily listening and paying close attention. ""Just try the green eggs and ham, you may like them Sam I am!" Emily squealed, giggling as Calleigh read through the book. Calleigh couldn't help but smile, even finding herself laughing as she watched Emily have a blast.

Meanwhile, Eric walked into the NICU. He saw Adam's nurse, and she walked over to him. "How is Adam today?" "Actually doing well. Took him off the breathing assistance, and he's breathing on his own. Still on the feeding tube, and only up to three and a half pounds. Slow improvement there, but the breathing was a huge step." Eric nodded. "Alright, thanks." The nurse smiled, then headed on towards a different incubator. Eric walked over to Adam's spot. The little baby was awake, moving slightly inside the isolette. Eric walked over, reaching his hand through. "Hey buddy," he said. Adam's hand moved upwards, and his small fingers struggled to grasp Eric's pinky completely. Eric quietly watched. Sure, Emily had been small at birth, but not this small. And, while she had seemed every bit as fragile, particularly after her harrowing birth, Eric knew Adam was much luckier to have survived. "I really need you to pull through, Adam," he said. "Not just for you, but for us. For Jen. OK?" He looked at Adam, who was still holding onto his finger. For a long time, Eric stayed with him, softly talking to him. Finally, after several hours, he headed home.

Calleigh was setting dinner on the table as Eric walked in the door. After dinner, the couple stayed up with Emily until it was past her bedtime, and the toddler showed no sign of tiredness. Eric took her to bed as Calleigh cleaned the kitchen. "Dada, read story!" Emily said, not ready to settle down. "Ok," he said as Emily handed him a book. He set her in her bed, snuggling her under the covers before he read the story to her. She squirmed out, sitting up. "But you have to lie down," he said. Emily seemed to debate it, then laid back down. Eric smile, then read the book to her. "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be." After reading the last page, Eric closed the book. Grinning, he saw Emily asleep. He leaned over, placing a tender kiss on her forehead before putting the book away and going to join Calleigh.

Calleigh watched as Eric came into the bedroom. "She go down easy?" "Yeah, already asleep." "Finally. Ever since the power nap you two had, she's been going non-stop. I thought she was never going to go to sleep and calm down." Eric grinned, joining Calleigh in bed. "Well, what can I say? I have that effect on women." Calleigh laughed, shoving his shoulder hard. "Oh, stop it," she said. He smiled. "It's nice to see you laugh again," he whispered. "It feels good too," she gently said, leaning her head against him. She closed her eyes, letting out a long, drawn out sigh. Eric looked down at her, and noticed her staring off at the wall. Several moments of silence went by. "Querida?" he asked. She looked up at him, head still against him. "Talk to me, Querida. What's on your mind?" "Emily asked about Jen today." "Yeah, I know, she did with me too." "I don't know what to tell her, Eric." "Cal, she won't remember forever. You know that." "What if she does?" "She won't, I promise. She'll move on. You and I will too. Differently, but we'll all move on." Calleigh was quiet for a few moments. "How was Adam?" "Off the assisted breathing. He's going to pull through, Calleigh." "Good," she said softly. "Look at me," Eric said, and Calleigh raised her glance. "He's going to be ok. We're all going to be ok." Calleigh gave a hint of a smile, nodding. Eric pressed his forehead against hers. "I love you," he whispered, before he kissed her softly. She smiled, kissing him back. "I love you too, Eric." He smiled, kissing her deeper and running his hands down her arms, then moved them to her sides. He felt her body give an involuntary jerk as he moved them lower, and her eyes darted away from him as she flinched. "Shh," he murmured, resting his hands on her hips. His eyes locked onto hers. "I'm sor-" He cut her off with a kiss. "Don't say that. You don't need to," he said, pressing his body close to hers slowly, only as he felt no hesitation from her. She closed her eyes again. "I trust you, Eric, with every fiber of my being." Eric's mind replayed back to the last time she had said those words to him. At the time, he and Ryan had been bickering constantly, and Calleigh had seemed to always be playing mediator. And, to Eric, always seemed to jump to Ryan's defense. After Eric confronted her, Calleigh told him that he was the one she trusted with every fiber of her being. Now, Eric pulled her close. "You just have to say the word," he whispered. Calleigh quietly nodded, before Eric's hands went back to roaming as Calleigh's arms found their way around his neck.

Later, Eric closed his eyes as Calleigh snuggled close to him. He knew she trusted him, especially after tonight's passionate events. "I love you Calleigh." "I love you too Eric," she whispered. After several moments of silence, Calleigh felt the vibrations of a silent chuckle coming from Eric. "What's so funny after tonight?" she mumbled. He kissed the top of her head. "I _definitely_ have that effect on women." Calleigh just shook her head. "Good night, Eric." "Good night love," he whispered, before they both drifted into sleep.

_"Do you ever forget?" "I've known people who in a few years they can go back to living their lives normally..." "But what?" "I think it depends on the person. I know someone who... she remembers every night before she goes to bed. It's getting a little better after three years, but it's still there. She loves her husband, and wants to give him the things he occasionally wants, but when it comes down to that time, the pain emotionally is often too much." Jennifer rolled over to look at Calleigh. "This person wouldn't be you, would it?" "You're a smart girl Jen, and you can do anything you set your mind on. I've known people to give up after less than what you've already had to go through, and I promise that things don't get easier quickly. But you have more heart than a lot of people I know." "Calleigh, one more thing. I think... I think that the woman you were talking about should go home and try to talk to their husband and let them know how they still feel. And maybe then things will change for that woman. I think that woman needs to shed her tough shell, and let the soft part underneath be exposed for a while."_

Calleigh woke abruptly, mind replaying the conversation again. "My tough outer shell..." she murmured. She had definitely done that tonight, not letting her fears and walls stand between her and Eric. Now that she was slowly learning to stop blaming herself, she found that the images in her mind seemed less powerful. For the first night in a long time, she had slept soundly without any issue. She sighed. "Oh Jen, I miss you," she whispered. Mind full of conflicting emotions over the night's events, she shut her eyes again to sleep.

* * *

So... not sure what exactly I was trying to portray with this chapter. Kinda went off in a few different points. I pretty much have Calleigh at a point where she's finally starting to really move on from the past, but, at the same time, the trauma she went through is still refusing to let go. Please note, I'm not a psychologist. ;) I'm mostly just writing it how I personally feel the story should go.


	13. Frustrating Day

**Frustrating Day**

Eric watched as Calleigh disappeared into the building. It was Monday morning, and she had been oddly quiet since Saturday night. Even with everything that had been going on, she was still considered the person at the lab who had the bubbly personality. Sure, some days it was forced, but she always managed to bring a smile to the face of others around the station. But, now, she was anything but cheery. She was strangely withdrawn and distant. "Are you ok?" he'd found himself asking her on more than one occasion. "Fine," was her standard response, and he hadn't pushed the issue. If she wanted to talk, she would. Shaking his head, he made his way into the station as well.

All morning, Calleigh found herself sorting through and matching casings and weapons. After a quick lunch, she'd come back to the chaos. Frustrated with her slow progress over the next several hours, lines of irritation marked her forehead when Eric poked his head into the ballistics lab. "Calleigh." "What?" she asked, voice hinting her agitation. "Someone at the desk is on the phone for you." Calleigh stood up, ready for a break. "Ok," she said, walking towards the door. As she approached him, Eric looked at her. "You sure you're ok?" "I'm fine, Eric, just frustrated with this case. Stop asking." She moved past him, heading for the desk. Eric watched her a few moments, then headed over to trace.

"Duquesne," Calleigh answered as she picked up the phone. "Calleigh?" "Who is this?" "Sorry, it's Troy. Troy Jimenez, from Anchor's Away." Calleigh closed her eyes as she heard the name of the bar. "Right, Troy. I remember now." "Yeah. Anyways, I just wanted to let you know your father and his friends have been here since lunch. They're starting to get pretty rowdy. I know you said to give you a heads up when he got like this." Calleigh leaned against the desk, letting out a sigh. "Yeah, I'll be there shortly." "Ok, thanks Calleigh." "Sure, Troy." Calleigh handed the phone back to the receptionist, then went to her lab. She finished what she had been working on quickly, then out the rest away for tomorrow, noting it was already 5. She sent Eric a text, telling him she'd be home late tonight. She grabbed her things, then headed for the elevator.

As Calleigh walked into the bar, a roar of shouts came from the back corner. Dreading her findings, she sighed as she it came from her father and his buddies. She looked over at the bar, and saw Troy. He just shook his head. Calleigh walked over to where her father and five of his friends were. "Hey, Dad.' "Lambchop! Care for a drink? It's on me," he said. "We all know you could use some alcohol to loosen up after that girl died." Calleigh tensed. "Dad, I'm fine. How about I take you home?" "Aw, come on, Cal. Just one shot." One of her father's friends laughed. "he doesn't want to go, _Lambchop,_" he said, imitating Duke. "Come on Charlie, that's my name for her," Duke said. Charlie just grinned, and Calleigh could tell he was just as drunk as her father. "Dad, really, come on," she said. "Hey, this that daughter of yours you been telling us about these last few times?" another friend ask. "In the flesh Rob," Duke said with a grin. Rob reached over to grab Calleigh's arm, and she jerked back reflexively. "My my, definitely is a feisty one," he said with a laugh. "Dad, now," Calleigh said, reaching out to grab his hand. "Damn, girl. Such a killjoy," Charlie added. "Your impatience what drove John to blow his brains out? That was his name, right? That depressing boyfriend of yours?" Laughter roared from the table again, although Duke was silent. Calleigh's eyes flashed a combination of emotions. Since she had been with Eric, Hagen had been far from the front of her mind. Now, as the dirty memory moved through her, she couldn't help but shiver. She may have moved on after all this time, but she'd never forget the traumatic event and the hollow, numb feeling she'd been left with afterwards. She was drawn back to the present as she felt someone give her shoulder a shove. "Come on honey, lighten up. Charlie's just letting the alcohol talk," another friend added. "Don't be putting words in my mouth, Greg,: Charlie added. Calleigh grabbed her father's arm, pulling him up. He stumbled as he stood. Calleigh didn't say anything to any of the friends, even as they continued to talk and pass back jeers. Duke followed his daughter as she approached the bar. "Here, this should cover whatever he had tonight," she said, handing Troy a handful of bills. He nodded, and Calleigh led her drunken father from the bar. Without a word, she got him into her car, then drove him home.

As she parked outside his house, she looked over at her father, who was somehow not passed out. "Sorry Lambchop, they just mean to play," he slurred. "Dad, stop doing this. Please." Duke just sighed. Calleigh said nothing, but helped him out of the car and into his house. She took him to the bedroom, then left him while she brought him a glass of water. "Sober up, and stay home tonight," she said. She turned to leave. "Love tons Lambchop." Calleigh just nodded before she walked out of the house.

Despite it being past hours, Calleigh headed to the lab. She got there quickly, heading straight for the firing range. She grabbed her gun, aiming it at the target. However, her mind flashed back to those years ago. The blood drop falling onto her jacket sleeve. Calleigh sighed. She looked up at the ceiling. While it was clean now, it wasn't that day. "Damnit," she snapped. She fired the entire clip down the range, pent up frustration unleashing itself as she hit her mark consistently every time. Afterwards, she turned, leaving the lab to head home.

By the time Calleigh got home, Emily was asleep. Eric had left a plate of food in the microwave, and it was still somewhat warm by the time Calleigh grabbed it. She picked at it, but didn't find herself super hungry anyways. She put it in the fridge to eat for lunch another day, then headed to the bedroom. Eric was still awake. "Hey, you're home," he said. "What happened?" "Just my father being his usual self." "Man, that sucks. I'm sorry, Calleigh." "Yeah, me too," she said with a sigh. "It was the last thing I needed today." "Oh yeah?" "Work was a nightmare. My dad was a mess. His friends brought up Hagen. Just not the day I needed." "Seems to just add on to yesterday." "What do you mean?" "Oh, come on Calleigh. Yesterday, you hardly said a word to anyone. Before you went to visit Adam, you hardly spoke. You came home, you hardly spoke. Something's bothering you. Was it about the other night? Did something happen?" "No, no, nothing like that, Eric. I'm just feeling a lot of different things right now. I feel like I'm really making some forward progress, but, at the same time, I feel like for every step forward I take, another two steps in the opposite direction follow. I don't know what to do at this point." She headed into the bathroom with her change of clothes, getting ready for bed. "I think you're just stressed Cal, and that's normal. A lot of stuff has been going on, and your processing it all internally." She didn't answer, and soon joined him in bed. "I guess you're right," she said, settling into bed. He moved closer to her, but stayed quiet. She closed her eyes, and Eric knew the talking for the night was done.

_"Calleigh, can we talk?" Calleigh looked up from the soft noise of the tv, and saw Jennifer standing in the doorway. "Yeah, sure," Calleigh said with a grin, moving over. Jennifer quietly smiled, sitting next to her. "What's up?" Calleigh asked. It was past midnight. Eric was working on putting Emily back to sleep, and Calleigh had been waiting for him so that they could head to bed themselves. "Can't sleep," Jennifer said. "Been… thinking." "About what?" "My mom." "Oh." Calleigh was quiet. She' didn't know much about Jennifer's mom, other than that she wasn't in the picture. "She left a few years ago," Jennifer said. "After the divorce. It got pretty nasty between her and my dad. She ended up with most of my stuff, but somehow Dad's lawyers got it to where he had full custody of me. She took it really hard. Last I heard, she'd moved to Europe. Never bothered to call or anything." "That what's keeping you up?" "Why doesn't she care about me? Maybe I want to tell her about this. How I'm going to be a mom myself. Or… maybe I'm scared of being like her. She just left, as if it didn't bother her. Was it that easy for her to disconnect from me? What if I do the same?" "Jen, first of all, I don't think your mother hates you." "then why has she not tried to get ahold of me? Ever?" "I don't know. People handle different situations differently. It seems she was devastated by your father getting full custody, and that just may have been too much for her. I really don't know. But, second, you need to know that you're too strong and caring to ever be like that." "But I don't want this child, Calleigh! I don't want a constant reminder of what happened. I'm scared that I'm not going to love this child because of who it's father is!" "Jen, stop. You're going to love this baby, no matter what. And you know that. Emily isn't yours, but I've seen the love you have for her. I don't care how old you are, you're mature beyond your age. You're going to be an incredible mom." Jennifer just laid her head on Calleigh's shoulder, crying. Calleigh pulled her close, and the girl just cried harder. Calleigh ran her fingers through Jennifer's hair, pulling it behind her ear. "Shh… it's going to be ok," she whispered. Calleigh looked up, hearing Eric come into the room. She motioned for him to go to bed, and he gave a quiet nod, disappearing and leaving the two "Calleigh… I'm scared. Really, really scared," Jennifer said, voice shaking. "I'm going to be here for you the entire step of the way. I'm not going to leave you, I promise," Calleigh said, clutching her tighter. Jennifer buried her head back in Calleigh's shoulder, tears still streaming down her face._

Eric, his arm around Calleigh, woke as he felt her give a sudden hard jerk before she sat partially up in the bed. "Calleigh?" he murmured. Calleigh didn't answer, the dream still processing in her mind. "Calleigh, go back to sleep," Eric said softly. "I promised her, Eric." "What?" he asked, sitting up on his elbows. "I promised her I would always be there for her." "And you were, Calleigh. Don't beat yourself up over this." "I know… I'll just feel better I think once Adam is here and we know for sure he's though the woods." Eric leaned over, kissing the top of her head softly. "He's going to be fine. Now, go back to sleep," he said, noting the alarm read 3:52 am. Calleigh closed her eyes again, the image of Jennifer in her arms still fresh and replaying.


	14. Falling Apart

**Falling Apart**

Calleigh signed her name for what seemed like the thousandth time. "Ok, that should be the last of the paperwork," the nurse said. Calleigh nodded. "Anything I should know?" "Don't worry if he's a slow eater, he should finish it eventually. Other than that, he's been given a clean bill of health. He's sure a fighter." Calleigh nodded. "Ok, thank you," she said. She walked over to where another nurse was standing, holding Adam. "Come on, let's get him home," the nurse said with a smile. Calleigh smiled back, and reached for Adam. The nurse handed him to her, then led her to the lobby. Eric was waiting, Emily with him. Eric walked over to Calleigh when he saw them, and Emily followed. "Emily, meet Adam. He's your little brother," Eric said with a smile. Emily smiled, eyes wide. "Hi Adam," she said, her voice high and bubbly. Calleigh smiled, then looked at Eric. "Come on, let's get them home," she said. Eric nodded, leading them all to the car.

Back at the house, Calleigh laid Adam down in the crib they'd set up in their bedroom. Eric had put Emily down for a nap, then had headed back to work. Calleigh had been cleared to stay home with the two while they looked for a new babysitter. Calleigh stared at Adam, marveling in the silence that would soon hardly ever occur in the house. He was still so small… Quietly, she sat down, pulling up her laptop to work through some case files. "Might as well be doing boring desk work. Oh wait, it's the same thing, just without the phone," she murmured to herself.

Eric looked up as he heard a voice calling his name. "Yeah, H?" "My office. Now." Eric set down what he had been working on, then joined Horatio in his office. Another man, looking to be about Horatio's age, was already sitting in a chair. "Eric, this is Lieutenant Marvin Freeman. Lieutenant Freeman, this is Eric Delko." Lieutenant Freeman shook Eric's hand. "Now, Freeman, I would like to say again that I do not support this decision. And this is my CSI." "And, with all due respect, I've told you Caine, my superiors have already arranged it. And, my superiors outrank yours. On top of that, my case takes priority over anything you have." "Look, I'm sorry to interrupt, but what's going on?" "Eric-" Freeman cut Horatio off. "Mr. Delko, you're going to be coming with me. My superiors have requested you specifically for a case we are working on, and we need your immediate attention." "What kind of case?" "I'm afraid I can't discuss this at the moment. This is classified information. You and I can discuss it on the way to my office." "Wait… I'm leaving?" "For the duration of this case, yes." "Look, Lieutenant, I'm sorry, I can't. I have a wife at home, with a toddler and an infant we just brought home from the NICU." "I'm sorry, no is simply not an option here." Eric shook his head. "Look at least let me call Calleigh." "No need, Lieutenant Caine will take care of that for you shortly. Now, please, come with me," he said. Eric looked at Horatio, who just had a sad look on his face. "Horatio…" "I'm already starting to protest this Eric, but, at the moment, my hands are tied." Eric looked flustered. "No, look, I'm not going anywhere." "Mr. Delko, now." Eric looked at Horatio, who just looked down. Eric, irritated, stormed after the detective. Horatio stared after them. He didn't like this at all. "This isn't going to end well," he murmured. He looked at his watch, then made a mental note to call Calleigh later before he headed back to his office.

Horatio stared at his phone. It was almost six. He hung his head, not looking forward to this phone call. He looked at the crime scene in front of him. The casings. The blood. He sighed, hitting the talk button.

Calleigh had Emily in her high chair, watching her make a mess of her spaghetti. She had Adam in her arms, feeding him a bottle. Her phone rang, and she pulled it out of her pocket. "Duquesne," she said, shifting to hold the phone on her shoulder to keep feeding Adam. "Calleigh…" She froze as she heard that tone. "Horatio? What's going on?" "This afternoon, Eric was called up to work a high profile, undercover case." "is that where he is? Because he hasn't been answering his phone." "Calleigh…" "What, Horatio? What happened?" she asked, voice filling with dread. "Calleigh… there's been a murder…"

Calleigh stared at the wall, her entire mind numb. Emily and Adam were with Eric's mother. Horatio walked out of his office, and Calleigh jumped to her feet. "How could you let him? What the hell were you thinking?" Calleigh asked, voice raised and emotions flared. "Calleigh, I'm sorry," was Horatio's answer, his eyes apologetic. "No, sorry isn't enough," Calleigh snapped. "You let them kill my husband, Horatio! You told me that I could always trust you! What were you doing, we have two kids at home? What am I supposed to do, with two kids, by myself?" she asked, breaking down. Horatio reached out, trying to comfort her, but she pushed him away. "I need to see his body. Now." "Calleigh… we don't have it." "What do you mean, Horatio? Where the hell is my husband's body?" "We wouldn't have access to it right now anyways. It's with the other department. Plus…" "There was a body… right?" "Yes, there was. Parts of it…" Calleigh stumbled back, sitting in the chair again. She couldn't wrap her mind around what she was hearing. Someone put a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped. It was Natalia. "Ms. Boa Vista is going to take you home. Calleigh… I'm sorry," Horatio said softly. "It was all over my head. I tried to keep him here, I really did. But my boss gave me direct orders I needed to follow." Calleigh stood up. "I don't need help getting home. Just… leave me alone." She turned, shaking as she left the office. Horatio stared after her. His head was still low. Natalia looked at him. "What happened?" "It was brutal, Ms. Boa vista. That much I can say." Natalia stared after Calleigh, shocked. She turned, going back to the trace lab.

Calleigh sat on the bed at home. She would tell Eric's mother in the morning when she went to pick up the kids. For now, she stared at the wall. Finally, she laid in the bed, shifting at the lonesome openness of it. She closed her eyes, the first of many tears starting to fall from her eyes.

_"Adam's coming home tomorrow." "I know Cal, it's great." Calleigh smiled, kissing his cheek. He smiled, kissing her back. She closed her eyes, pressing herself against his chest as they laid in bed. _I know that the bridges that I've burned along the way have left me with these walls and these scars that won't go away, and opening up has always been the hardest thing… Until you came. _Calleigh smiled. "Eric… I love you." He smiled. "I love you too, Calleigh." _ So lay here beside me just hold me and don't let go. This feelin' I'm feelin' is somethin' I've never known, and I just can't take my eyes off you. And I just can't take my eyes off you… _"I've been thinking…" "About what Cal?" "Just… things. How, I know Jen died, but… I think I'm actually starting to feel happy again." _I love when you tell me that I'm pretty when I just wake up, and I love how you tease me when I'm moody, but it's never too much. I'm falling fast, but the truth is I'm not scared at all. You're climbin' my walls… _"Well, I'm glad you're happy hun," he said, holding her close to him. "With us, with how things are going… How much I've come to just trust and love you. I'm really, really happy." _So lay here beside me just hold me and don't let go. This feelin' I'm feelin' is somethin' I've never known, and I just can't take my eyes off you. And I just can't take my eyes off you… Off you… Off you… _Eric smiled. "You know Calleigh, I think I'm really happy too." "Yeah?" "Yeah. I mean, wasn't planning on us having another baby in the house so soon, but I mean… it's nice. I think I'm happy too. Really, really happy." _ So lay here beside me just hold me and don't let go. Oh, this feelin I'm feelin is somethin' I've never known, and I just can't take my eyes off you. And I just can't take my eyes off you… _Eric pulled her even closer, and she pressed her body into his. Together and happy, the two faded into sleep in each other's arms._

Calleigh opened her eyes. "it's not fair," she murmured, sitting up in bed. Eyes still red and painful, she glanced at her alarm. 2:07 am. She sighed, dreading the upcoming few days. "I can't do this again," she said aloud to herself. She laid back down, a desire to lean into Eric running through her. Curling herself into a ball, she struggled to find sleep again as her life began to fall apart around her yet again.

Horatio's cell rang, waking him from his sleep. His alarm said 2:10 am. "Lieutenant Caine." "I can't do this anymore..." Horatio quickly sat up. "Hang on, I'm on my way."

* * *

First thing's first, the regular words in the italic paragraph are a song. Just want to get that out of the way. They're not my words, they're lyrics to Lady Antebellum's _Can't Take My Eyes Off You._ I don't own the words, the rights to it, or anything like that.

Next. Don't hate me. I promise, I've got something up my sleeve. Don't judge me or hate me, you might *actually* be surprised how this turns out. My mind went haywire with this idea, I debated it for the past two days, and decided to run with it. Kinda took some ideas from other places, and put them into mine. You'll see. Updates soon!


	15. Cold Case Solved

**Cold Case Solved**

"I can't do this. They told me what they're making you do. I don't want to do this. How did I get stuck with this?" "Listen to me, hold on. It'll be ok." Horatio sighed as the man stormed off. The man turned around. "If you don't tell her, I will." "You know I can't do that…" "Fine, Horatio. I will." "just… be careful. Please."

A blaring phone woke Calleigh from her uneasy sleep. 3:49 am. She saw an unknown number, and let it go to voicemail. It rang again, same number. Groaning, she sat up and answered it. "Duquesne." "Listen to me, you never heard from me." "Eric," she said, bolting up in the bed. "What…. You're dead…" "Cal, hush and listen a minute. I'm undercover. Can't tell you where. I'm not dead, I love you. Don't let them lie to you. But, you need to think I am. Act like it. Trust me on this." The line went dead.

Calleigh didn't go back to sleep. When morning came, she left a voicemail for Eric's mom. "Something's come up, I need you to watch the kids. It's about Eric, I'll tell you when I know more." She hung up, then drove to the lab. As she drove, her mind was working to put things together. "It makes sense… there's no body to show… because he's still alive. The pieces thing… would make it seem like they'd need a closed casket. Because of the lack of a body." She pulled into the lab, heading straight for Horatio's office. He was inside, and she slammed the door behind her. "Where the hell is Eric, and don't tell me he's dead, Horatio. I need to know." "Calleigh-" "Shut up and listen to me. You tell me where he is, or I'm going to find him myself." Horatio sighed, rubbing his temples. "Ok… yes, he's alive. But you can't know that." "What the hell is going on? Why does he need to be dead?" "They're putting him in an undercover operation. The men have possibly seen him before, so, publicly, we need him dead. Change his appearance slightly, and he's the one the agency needs." "Why, Horatio? Why did they pick Eric?" "Because… There's a cold case. From a few years ago. Eric was digging into it. Someone caught wind of it, hence why the superiors called for him. It's an case, not many people still know too much about it. Some new evidence just surfaced, and they needed someone undercover." "What case?" Horatio paused. "What. Case. Horatio?" He looked at her. "Marie. Marie Kingsly." Calleigh closed her eyes, letting her mind work as it tried to put all the pieces together. With a jolt, it hit her. Her eyes flew open. "You've got to be kidding me." She jumped up, heading out the door. "Calleigh, wait. You can't let anyone know that you know he's alive." Calleigh turned around. "He's doing this for me, H. I asked him about it." "Ok, but he still needs to stay dead, Calleigh. Please, for his safety." She didn't say anything, just turned and left.

Calleigh stood in front of a tombstone. With a quiet sigh, she sat down. "Jennifer… help me out," she whispered, closing her eyes.

_"Hey," Calleigh heard a voice say, waking her. She looked up. It was Eric, squatting next to the couch. Jennifer was asleep, head resting on Calleigh's shoulder. "You two must have fallen asleep talking about whatever last night. I'm heading into work. I'll let H know you'll be late." Calleigh nodded, and Eric headed out the door._

_"Jen, sweetie, wake up," Calleigh said, nudging her softly. Jennifer's eyes blinked open. "Huh?" "We fell asleep. It's time to get up. I need to get ready to go." Jennifer sat up, working out some of the soreness already developing in her lower back. "Sorry…" "Don't worry about it. You needed to talk last night, and I'm here for you. Always." Jennifer was quiet. "How could she just leave like that? I don't understand." "I don't know, but she made a mistake." Jennifer looked at her, and sighed, shaking her head. She then got up, going to get dressed. Once she was gone, Calleigh pulled out her cell. "Eric, it's Calleigh. Hey, I want you to do some digging for me if you get the chance today. Yeah, a woman. Marie. Marie Kingsly. She was Jennifer's mom. Walked out, seemed to vanish without a trace. Ok, thanks. Bye." _

Calleigh opened her eyes. "Come on, Jen. Where could they be?" she asked, staring at the tombstone. Her mind rolled back in time again.

_"So… you two have any plans for this weekend?" Calleigh looked up from breakfast, over at Jennifer. "No, why?" "Well, I was wondering if we could go somewhere." "Where? Somewhere you have in mind?" "It's called Gilligan's Cove. My mom used to take me when I was little. It's along the ocean, but pretty well hidden from the main beach." Calleigh looked over at Eric. "Seems like a fine idea to me. Let Emily go play in the sand too." Jennifer smiled. _

Calleigh's eyes popped open, and she jumped up. "Thanks, Jen," she whispered, heading quickly back to her car and speeding off.

Calleigh stopped outside a small, rundown building. She got out of the car, walking into the old restaurant. As she walked inside, she looked around. It was one of the two restaurants at Gilligan's Cove, and the one they had eaten at when they'd stopped her. She walked over to the bar, sitting down. "Can I get you anything?" the man behind the counter asked. She looked at him. "Umm, yeah. Tequila," she said. The man nodded, going to mix her drink. Calleigh scanned the room. She stopped as her eyes rested on the far table in the corner. Another man was looking at her. Their eyes met for only a split second before he looked away. Calleigh let out a quick sigh, turning back to the bar as the bartender put her drink down in front of her. She drank her drink quietly, thinking. Eric was safe. And alive. And sitting at the far table. And with him, were two other men. There was no woman with them. Calleigh finished, then paid the man. On her way out, she looked back at the far table. Eric's eyes met hers again, and she looked away first, going back to her car. She sat, waiting for them to leave.

There was a tap on Calleigh's window, and she looked over to see Eric. She rolled it down. "You need to leave, now," he whispered. "They don't know who I am." "But they know who Eric Delko is." "Yeah, by the way, they did a pretty shitty job changing your appearance." "I know that. Which is why you need to leave." "Where are you in this case?" "Cal, I think her mom was murdered" "Would explain the sudden disappearance. But why?" "I don't know. And if I'm going to find out, I need to stay here. Please, Cal. You need to go. Now." She sighed. He leaned in, giving her a quick kiss. "Be careful," she whispered. "I will, promise," he said before he jogged off. She sighed, closing the window. She suddenly had a realization. She quickly sped off.

It was getting dark as she got to the lab. Most people had headed home. She saw a missed call from Eric's mom, but ignored it. She'd get to it later. She hurried inside, heading to her computer. She searched Marie Kingsly and found that, after the divorce, she pretty much vanished, just as Jennifer had said. Calleigh kept looking through old clippings from around that time. Suddenly, she found something interesting. Vehicle Swept Into Gilligan's Cove. No Body Recovered. Calleigh pulled it up. The plates were to a stolen car, and the car itself didn't match the plates. But… Calleigh kept searching through records. She finally hit something. In the list of items recovered from the car was an amethyst necklace.

_Jennifer was setting her things up in the room Calleigh and Eric had given her. Calleigh was helping her unload boxes. She saw a smaller box, and opened it next. Inside, was a jewelry box. Calleigh opened it. "Wow… Jen…" Jennifer looked over. Amongst the many smaller pieces, Calleigh pulled out a small bracelet with an amethyst on it. "This is beautiful…" "Yeah… my mom gave it to me," she said with a shrug. Calleigh debated asking the story, but decided against it._

Calleigh looked at the photos of the necklace. It looked exactly like Jennifer's bracelet. She pulled out her cell phone. "Horatio, get whoever is in charge of Eric's case in here, now." "Calleigh, I can't do that." "No, Horatio, listen to me. I saw Eric earlier." "Oh Calleigh… if you blew his cover…" "No, listen to me, H. He told me he was sure Marie had been murdered. I've been doing some research. The same time she disappeared, they pulled a car out of Gilligan's Cove. It was a bunch of stolen parts and plates, so they never trace it. But, the bracelet in it belonged to Marie. I know this because Jen had the matching bracelet. H, she's in the cove. She has to be." "Look, Cal, they searched all over the water there." "See, the water, yes. Not where I think she's buried." There was a long pause. "How sure are you on this?" "I'll put my job on the line for it," Calleigh said. Horatio sighed. "Ok, stay there. I'll be there in twenty minutes. There was a click, and the line went dead.

Twenty minutes later, Horatio walked into the lab. Lieutenant Freeman was with him, and he looked extremely upset. He began to simmer once he saw Calleigh. "You could have blown our entire investigation, you know that? You've jeopardized everything with your selfish desire to see-" "That's enough, Lieutenant," Horatio warned. Freeman looked furious, but stopped talking. "Look, I've been with Marie's daughter to that cove. I don't know why someone wanted to kill her. But, I know Jen said whenever they visited, her mom always visited one particular place. I'm assuming after she lost custody of Jen, she went there in remembrance. It's a small animal trail. You follow it, you reach a bunch of thick vines and thorns. If you go through them, there's a nice little clearing inside." "And you happen to think the body's there. Really? This is all speculation." "Her body wasn't in the water. Trust me, I have a good feeling it's there." Freeman debated a moment, then sighed. "Fine." He pulled out his cell phone. "Anything new?" he asked the person on the other end. Calleigh could detect Eric's voice, and strained to hear their conversation. "Ex-boyfriend owned one of the two restaurants, but business went bad once Marie left and stopped doing his finances… now working as waiter under new ownership." Calleigh struggled to hear the rest of it. "Ok, good work. Now, we think we may have a location on the body." He looked at Calleigh, then handed her the phone. "Describe it, because I have no idea where the hell you're talking about." Calleigh took the phone. "The place we went and sat. Yeah, that place. I think it's there." She handed the phone back to Freeman. "I'm going to join him." "No, you're going to go get your children, and go get some sleep," Horatio interjected. He gave her a caring look. "Go home and sleep a bit. You'll need to be awake in the morning." "But-" "Listen to Lieutenant Caine. If there is a body in that grove, you're on the case starting tomorrow morning. Be rested." With that, Freeman strode out the door. Calleigh turned to Horatio. "He's still dead," was all Horatio said. "But… nice work." Calleigh gave a small smile, then headed out the door.

Dressed in black, tears streaming down her face, Calleigh stared at the closed coffin in front of her. Eric's mother was next to her, sobbing. Calleigh held Eric, while Emily clung to her side. As the funeral dragged in, Calleigh fought the urge to tell Eric's suffering mother the truth. Finally, after the casket was buried, Calleigh hurried to leave. She gave Eric's mom a big hug, then took Adam and Emily with her. Dropping them with their sitter, she went to work. "Are you sure you want to be here?" Ryan asked quietly. Calleigh sighed. "I need to keep busy," she said. He gave her a sympathetic smile, but Calleigh saw how badly he was hurting too. He and Eric were considered buddies. He walked off, deep in his own thoughts. Calleigh pulled out her cell as it rang. "They just discovered a body. Appears female. Exactly where you said it would be. They're bringing in the remains to be worked on now."

Calleigh was fidgeting when Horatio walked into the ballistics lab. "Anything?" she asked quickly. "The victim has been identified. We just found Marie Kingsly." "So then, she didn't just abandon her daughter. Someone murdered her." Horatio nodded. "From the looks of it, shot her to death." Calleigh sighed. "When will Eric come back?" "Once they determine who killed her. He's working the ex-boyfriend now." "Why would she go there? If her ex was there, why did she take her daughter there? Why would she go back later, alone?" "Maybe she just wanted to be near the place she grew up. Calleigh, I honestly can't answer that question." His phone rang, and he answered it. "alright, thank you." "That was Freeman. Michael Wallace, the ex, confessed. He discovered Eric was a cop, and admitted to it. He was going to kill Eric too." "but Eric is ok… right?" Calleigh asked, nervously. "Yes. He drew his weapon on Mr. Wallace, who proceeded to kill himself instead."

There was a loud noise in the hallway. "What the hell is going on here?" Calleigh and Horatio turned, as Eric walked off the elevator. The source of the voice, Ryan, turned to Horatio and Calleigh. "What the hell is this?" "I…. I have no idea," Calleigh said, eyes wide. "Look, Ryan. Calleigh. I had to go undercover. I'm sorry…" Calleigh ran over to Eric, and he swooped her into his arms. "Thank you," he whispered in her ear. She didn't say anything, but he knew she had understood. Natalia joined them, staring at Eric with wide eyes before she turned to Horatio. "So… you knew?" "Knew he was undercover, yes. Not what for, but that he was still alive when the media announced his death." Eric turned to Calleigh. "The kids…" "With the sitter. Go call your mother. Now." Eric nodded, and walked a ways down the hallway. "Calleigh, once he's done, the two of you go home," Horatio said. Calleigh nodded. She waited a few moments, then Eric joined her and they headed for the parking lot.

After seeing his mother, Eric and Calleigh went to get Emily and Adam. They headed home, as it was now late in the evening. After managing to finally get both kids to sleep, Calleigh and Eric laid in bed. Calleigh felt relieved at the sensation of Eric next to her. "Please… don't ever do something like that again," she whispered. "I can't lose you Eric… you mean everything to me…" "I know baby, I'm sorry. I didn't want to. They threatened my job though, Cal. We can't afford to lose my income with two kids." "I know…" He kissed her, then pulled her close. "I love you. I did this for you." "I know… I just can't believe you'd stuck with it over all this time." "Of course. She was ours, Calleigh. I know you really bonded to her, but I did too. I wanted to be there for her just as badly as you did. And I wanted to know what happened to her mother." "If she were alive, she'd finally have some closure," Calleigh said with a sigh. "Querida, she's safe now. She has her mother and father now. She know the truth." Calleigh pressed close to him. "Still… never again, Eric. I can't stand to live my life without you. When I thought you were dead…" Eric kissed her again. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, pulling her close. Calleigh wrapped her arms around his neck, and Eric deepened his kiss. Finally, Calleigh broke away. "I love you, Eric," she said. "I love you too, more than anything else in the world," he whispered. Calleigh laid her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her. At peace with things, Calleigh closed her eyes. A small, genuine smile spread across her face for the first time in days as she fell asleep. Eric too was soon out, arms wrapped protectively around his little Southern Belle.

* * *

Probably could have split this into two chapters, but I didn't really find a good breaking point. So, it stayed one. Kind of a twist, yeah, but I wanted to try kind of a unique way to find out what happened to Jennifer's mom. I didn't want the typical case thing, so I figured this would be a pretty different angle. I also rewrote it a few times. Still not sure I'm satisfied with it, but I think I'll just frustrate myself more if I keep working on it. So... hope you enjoyed. Well, after all the drama at least. Trying to figure out ideas now... You have any, please PM me. Not too sure where I want to go, but I don't feel it's at a stopping point yet. And, as you can see by the last two chapters, my latest ideas are becoming lame, unrealistic, and poorly planned. So, if you have any general ideas, PM me. (That way we can talk about it directly.) If you have a good idea and I use it, I'll be sure to give you credit.


	16. Hang in There

**Hang in There**

Horatio opened the door to the ballistics lab. "Calleigh, what do we have?" "Nine millimeter. Matches the casings from the Beretta Px4 Storm we recovered from Joseph Kriescher's store." "Any idea who it belongs to?" "Unfortunately, the gun isn't registered. There were no workable prints either, and no DNA could be recovered. However, I recovered some sort of pale fiber." She showed him a picture. "I've already sent it to trace." Horatio narrowed his eyes in thought. "Got an idea?" Calleigh asked. "I do. Let's go back to that store." Calleigh nodded, following him.

Calleigh and Horatio walked into the hardware store. Calleigh walked up to the counter, where a young man was standing. Calleigh looked at him. He could only be sixteen or seventeen. She glanced at his nametag. "Excuse me, Rhett, my name is Calleigh Duquesne, I'm with Miami-Dade PD. We're looking for you boss, Joseph Kriescher. Do you knew where we could find him." The kid shrugged. "I don't know, I've only been working here about a week. I'd check his office, but if he's not there, then I don't know." Calleigh smiled. "Thanks." There was a woman's scream behind her, and Calleigh's heart jumped as she turned around and drew her weapon. She saw Joseph Kriescher, with a gun aimed directly at Horatio's temple as several customers began to flee from the store. Horatio had his weapon in his hand, but would never get a shot off before Joseph pulled the trigger. "Lower your gun and raise your hands, now, or he loses his brains," Joseph said to Calleigh. Calleigh's eyes locked with Horatio's, and his gentle eyes told her she had no choice but to listen. "Ok, fine, as you wish," Calleigh said. "And do it slowly," Joseph added. Calleigh raised one hand above her head, slowly lowering herself down to the ground to put her gun on the ground. "Kick it over there," Joseph said, motioning with his shoulder. He felt Horatio shift. "Don't move, or I swear I'll kill you," he snapped. Calleigh looked at Horatio, then kicked her gun towards the wall. "Toss yours. Now," Joseph angrily said. Horatio slowly lowered himself, Joseph's gun still aimed at his temple. He set the gun on the floor, and Joseph quickly kicked it away. The kid behind the register was still frozen in place. "You two," Joseph said, motioning towards Calleigh and Rhett. "My office. Now. And no funny business." Calleigh looked at Rhett, who looked absolutely terrified. "Come on, let's do as he says," she said softly to the kid, who finally seemed to come unglued to the floor as he walked hesitantly into the office. Calleigh was behind him, and Joseph followed with Horatio. He slammed the door behind them, locking them in.

Eric was back at the lab, when Frank burst in. "Get in your car, let's go. We've got a hostage situation down at Kriescher's Hardware." "Calleigh and H were headed there for evidence." "Exactly. SWAT's already on their way. The calls we receive say that two officers and at least one other hostage are inside. Now let's go." Eric set down what he was doing, hurrying after Frank.

After an hour in the office, Joseph was still pacing. Calleigh sat by the desk, Horatio by the back wall. Rhett sat in the back corner, staring down at his feet as he held his knees to his chest wordlessly. "Jospeh, we know you didn't mean for this to happen. But there's a SWAT team outside, ready to come in here if you don't let us go." "SHUT UP!" he cried, turning and aiming the gun at Calleigh's head. She closed her eyes, swallowing hard. "At least let the boy go," Horatio said, adding on to what Calleigh said. Joseph turned, re-aiming the gun. "So they can storm in here and kill me? I don't think so. He's my leverage," he said. Horatio lowered his head, and Joseph went back to pacing. Calleigh's hand graced her waistline, knowing she had her spare weapon on her. She turned to Horatio, and he saw where her hand had come to rest. Drawing in his knees, he wrapped his arms around his legs. Calleigh's eyes watched his hand, which came to rest over his ankles. He looked straight at her, and she knew he had his too. But Horatio then looked towards Rhett. They couldn't risk putting him in the cross-fire.

Eric looked at the SWAT team commander. "Go get them out of there," he said, flustered. "Listen, Officer Delko. If we go in there right now, we risk losing the lives of innocent victims." "You also have two officers trapped in there, and you haven't had any success trying to establish contact with this monster." "It's still too risky. We can't go in yet, especially since we can't see into that back office, which is where we think he's holding them. Now, please, stand back. We need to be able to do our jobs." Eric bit his tongue, saying no more. Irritated, he stepped back. He put his hands behind his head, feeling completely helpless.

"We know what happened to Daisy Braxton," Horatio said softly. "We recovered the gun that killed her from this store, Joseph." "That's a lie!" Joseph cried, pointing the gun at Horatio again. "And, while we can't use any prints from it, we did recover fibers. The same fibers… that appear there on your wrist-brace," Horatio said, eyes glancing towards the brace on Joseph's desk. "She was going to turn me in, I did what I had to do!" Joseph cried, becoming more agitated. "Joseph, calm down." "No! I'm done with this crap, man."

All Calleigh saw was the bullet strike Horatio as she heard Joseph's gun fire. Without hesitation, she turned, returning fire with the spare weapon from her waistband. Joseph stumbled back before falling, Calleigh's bullets hitting home. Calleigh whipped around back towards Horatio, and her mind suddenly flashed back.

_"There are many reasons for a misfire, aren't there?" Horatio asked after reading through Calleigh's report of the shooting that had killed Tim Speedle. "Faulty mechanism Low-grade ammunition. Poor gun maintenance" "Designation of any one of those would be speculation on our part, wouldn't it?" "We never speculate. Bottom line, the gun malfunctioned." "And that closes the IAB investigation, doesn't it?" Calleigh paused briefly. "Do you want me to help you with Tim's things?" "No, thank you." Calleigh gave one short nod, then turned to leave. "Hey," Horatio said. She turned back to face him. "Okay," he said softly, before reaching to embrace her. Calleigh hugged him back, neither of them speaking for several moments. "You hang in there," Horatio said softly. Calleigh didn't respond, neither of them breaking the embrace._

SWAT burst through the doors. One team member grabbed Rhett, dragging him outside and out of the way. The terrified kid followed willingly, eager to escape the harrowing situation. "Horatio, hang in there," Calleigh cried, quickly getting to his side as SWAT entered the building. Horatio, however, slowly sat up. He gave her a gentle smile, although pain was clear in his eyes. "I think it just grazed me, I'm going to be fine," he said softly. "Thank you," he added, his eyes grateful. Looking at his shoulder, Calleigh said the bullet had only grazed him, but, had still done quite a bit of damage. She leaned over to embrace him. "Hang in there," she whispered. He embraced her back gingerly. Calleigh sighed before standing up as the paramedics came over to check over Horatio. Ignoring his blood on shirt, Calleigh backed up to let the paramedics work. She looked over at Joseph's dead body. She shook her head. She was tired of these close calls. She walked outside, and saw Eric approaching. His eyes widened as he saw blood. "Are you ok?" he asked frantically. "Fine," Calleigh said. "It's Horatio's. He'll be fine though, it just grazed his shoulder." Eric reached out, gripping her tightly into him. Calleigh closed her eyes, leaning into his arms as she breathed a sigh of relief. Eric held her close, unwilling to let go. He tried to dissolve the panic that had settled in his chest once he had seen the blood on her shirt. He couldn't lose her. "It's going to be alright," he said softly. "We're all gonna get through this. Together." He tightened his hold on her, and she relaxed into him as her own tensions started to ease. She felt safe. Eric had accomplished his goal.

* * *

I'd just like to add here kind of where my inspiration for this chapter came… I've been watching old episodes when I find the time, and, as much as I love Calleigh and Eric together, I saw a pretty sweet moment between her and Horatio. It was 3.01 ("Lost Son"), which is where Speedle is killed. The way that, after Calleigh basically manipulates the report to close the IAB case and offered to help Horatio clean out Speedle's locker, she and Horatio hug is really sweet. (Hence where I pulled the old 'memory' Calleigh had at the end of this chapter from). I see their relationship as two close coworkers, who have become good friends over time. They both have enough care to look out for each other, having each other's backs, while also having enough respect to not get too involved in each other's personal lives. Just my little rambling here, I just thought it was a really sweet moment. Doesn't mean I don't love Calleigh/Eric, they are still definitely my go-to couple. As you've probably figured out.


	17. I'm Good

**I'm Good**

Eric's eyes opened as he heard whimpers. He sat up, just as Calleigh picked Adam up from his crib. He watched as she held him close, whispering softly to him. Eric looked over at the alarm. 4:42. When he looked back up, Calleigh was watching him. She gave him a gentle smile. "Go back to sleep, I've got it," she said. Eric nodded silently, lying his body back down on the bed. Adam in her arms, Calleigh walked quietly towards the kitchen. The baby had stopped fussing, but was wide awake and fidgeting. Calleigh poked her head into Emily's room, and her daughter was still sound asleep. Calleigh smiled before she headed to the kitchen. Once there, she warmed a bottle, before sitting down and feeding it to Adam. Adam suckled hungrily from the bottle, and Calleigh settled in and relaxed. She smiled, watching him with warm eyes. She gently kissed his forehead. "Your mom would never be able to get over how precious you are," she whispered. She sat there in silence, just watching him as he ate.

About three-quarters of the way through the bottle, Adam's eyelids seemed to grow heavy as they slowly began to close. Once he was asleep finally, Calleigh took him back to the crib, gently setting him down. By now, she herself was wide awake. She went over to her closet, shuffling around. She grabbed a pair of sweat pants and a black workout shirt. She quietly got dressed, pulling her hair up into a quick ponytail too. After lacing up her running shoes, she grabbed a pen and scribbled down a note for Eric. _On a run, be back shortly. Have cell, call if needed._ She stuck it to the alarm, then noiselessly exited the room and walked out of the front door.

Calleigh smiled as the fresh Miami morning air hit her face. It'd been too long since she'd just gone for a jog. Walking a little to stretch her legs a bit, she worked to clear her mind. She didn't want to think about anything, just relax. As she moved into an easy jog, she felt her mind relax. She smiled. Finally, she seemed to truly be getting back to her old self. Her nightmares were almost becoming a thing of the past, hardly arising anymore. She was finding herself laughing more again, and her bubbly personality was starting to return. She felt more at ease with things, and like less troubles were on her mind. With a grin, she quickened her pace. Today was going to be a good day.

Eric heard the alarm go off. As he went to turn it off, he saw a note attached to it. Shutting off the alarm, he grabbed the note. He read it, then smiled. He got up, looking into the crib, With Adam still asleep, he went to quietly wake up Emily and get her ready to go.

Calleigh opened the front door, wiping the sweat from her brow as she walked inside. "Momma!" Emily cried as she saw Calleigh. Calleigh's face brightened into a smile as she walked into the kitchen. "Mornin' darling," she said, kissing the top of her head. She smiled at Eric. "You got in under control in here?" "Like always," he said with a smile. Calleigh laughed. "Alright, good. Because I need a shower." She smiled at Emily, then headed back to take a shower.

As Calleigh stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Adam just starting to stir. Hearing Eric finishing up with Emily in the kitchen, Calleigh picked up Adam and got him ready as well. Once Adam was taken care of, Calleigh took him to Emily's room. "Ready, Em?" Emily nodded, hurrying to join her as someone knocked on the door. Calleigh smiled, and headed to the front of the house. She opened the door, smiling at Eric's mom. Calleigh handed her Adam, and Emily went with her too. Once the three were gone, Calleigh headed back inside. Calleigh heard Eric in the shower, and she went to grab something quick to eat before heading into work.

Calleigh smiled at Horatio. "How're you feeling this morning?" He smiled back. "Doing alright, yourself?" "Great," she said with a smile. The wrap on Horatio's shoulder was still visible, even though it was under his suit jacket. "Glad to hear it," Horatio said. Calleigh just smiled, then headed into the ballistics lab. Before opening any of her case files, she decide to fire a few shots down the range. As the bullets flew down the range, Calleigh felt at ease. After unloading the clip, she cleaned up after herself. Natalia poked her head into the lab. "Hey. We just got a call. 1956 Needles Lane." Calleigh nodded. "I'll meet you there." Natalia nodded, heading out to the Hummer.

Calleigh stared at the gun that had been haphazardly discarded into the bushes. She knew it all too well. She picked it up, and her mind suddenly rolled back.

_"Have you, uh, tried the booking photos?" "I never saw him." "So how are you gonna make an ID?" "One click at a time." Eric looked at her, then reached for the first gun. _Click. "_Too soft._" Click. _"It was more crisp than that." _Click. _"Too hollow."_ Click. _"There were more clicks._" Click. _"There was more of a slapping sound." _Click. _"Wait. Do that again." _Click. _"That's it." Eric looked at the gun. "It's a Ruger. GP100," he said. "Ruger's a rarer gun. Has a transfer bar sort of rattles around when it's cocked," Calleigh replied. "Okay. So we got the gun. How do we get the gunman?" "I'm gonna run it through the Automated Firearms System." "What do you think the chances are of the gun being registered?" "Slim to none. But it's what I've got."_

Calleigh blinked, the memory disappearing. She sighed. "John," she murmured. She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to think about that. She looked back at the gun, focusing on the crime scene in front of her. The old memories eased, and then faded completely. Calleigh looked at the GP100 carefully. "I'm gonna get this back to the lab. Definitely match the through-and-through we found from the victim," she said to Natalia. "Hopefully it'll give us the killer." Natalia nodded. "Alright. I'm almost done processing, go ahead and go." Calleigh nodded, heading back to the lab.

Eric walked into the firearms lab, and saw Calleigh bent over a microscope. "Find anything?" he asked. She didn't look up. "Striations confirm this is the murder weapon," she replied. The fingerprints are running through AFIS right now, and I'm also running the gun through the Automated Firearms System." Eric walked over to her. He saw the gun, and frowned. "It's a GP100." Calleigh looked up. "Yeah, I know. Look Eric, I'm fine. Really." He looked at her, but her eyes honestly showed nothing troubling. He smiled. "Alright then." At that moment, the computer across the room beeped. Calleigh got up, walking over to it. "Got a hit in AFIS. Fingerprints belong to a Mr. Winston Lockfield." She pulled up another tab. "The gun is registered to a Mr. Charles Lockfield. Brother, maybe?" "Possibly. I'll call Horatio and let him know." Eric kissed her cheek. "Nice job." Calleigh smiled, eyes sparkling. "Just doin' my job." Eric smiled, then walked out of the lab.

The rest of the day went smoothly, no other cases popping up. That evening, after they got home, Eric finished his dinner before feeding Adam a bottle. Calleigh finished her meal as well, making sure Emily ate too. Afterwards, Calleigh worked on bathing Emily as Eric got Adam to sleep. Once Emily's bath was done, Calleigh got her into pajamas, brushed her the, and got her into bed, The toddler was quickly asleep, and Calleigh joined Eric in the bedroom.

She settled into bed, and Eric smiled. "What?" she asked. "You." "What about me?" she asked with a smile. "You just… you're happy, Querida." He kissed her, wrapping his arms around her. "And that makes me happy too." Calleigh smiled. "I don't know, I just… I feel good again. I don't know why, or how, but it really doesn't matter. I'm just… I'm good." Eric looked into her dazzling eyes, and smiled. "I love you," Calleigh whispered. "I love you too," Eric said. Smiling, he pulled her close to him, and she pressed her body into his. They both drifted into a peaceful sleep, Eric's arm protectively draped over Calleigh as her body pressed into his.

* * *

Sorry guys… been kinda stuck with ideas still. Anyways, just a warning. I move into the dorms in less than a week, and, once I do, don't expect a chapter for a good week and a half or two weeks until I'm really settled. But once I'm situated, I'll get back to work on this story. And I might even have some decent ideas at that point ;)


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